– Actually, for many years, the Hungaroring was considered a track with comparatively high grip and a very even surface. However, the recent renovation work has turned out to be the exact opposite. A newly asphalted third of the track is causing massive displeasure among drivers and teams.
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Already on Thursday, Nico Hülkenberg spoke of a true “patchwork rug”, as large strips on the racing line, especially in Turn 1, had to be hastily repaired. In free practice, the situation escalated further when parts of the surface suddenly disintegrated in the final corner and individual stones broke out.
In addition, a bump in Turn 1 – caused by an unclean transition between old and new asphalt – is driving the teams to despair because the cars hit the ground hard with their underbody when braking.
Finally, the pent-up criticism was unleashed in the drivers’ briefing on Friday evening. Haas driver Oliver Bearman makes it abundantly clear how catastrophic the condition feels behind the wheel: “Honestly, they resurfaced the track really, really badly. We all agree they did an extremely poor job,” he says.
They should have left it as it was…
“I think we would have been better off if we had just left it as it was, because it was much better before. And now we have this huge bump when braking into Turn 1, which could be interesting tomorrow. And also through Turn 13 – I mean, that’s super weird. And the track is also breaking up badly, so the grip is bad, it’s strange.”
Even the smoothing work carried out by the organizers overnight brought no relief, according to the Briton: “No, no, no. It was sanded down a bit, but the bumps are still there.”
Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto also joins the harsh criticism: “It’s very bad, to be honest, everyone is saying the same thing,” says the Brazilian. “I think the standards of FIA and F1 should be high and they know when things are not correct. I feel that this year on some racetracks the asphalt is not the best.”
The FIA and Formula 1 race director Rui Marques personally went to inspect the track on Friday evening to arrange repair work at the most critical points.
However, these very patches bring new pitfalls: they do not offer the same grip as the regular asphalt, which suddenly makes the car unstable when driving over them. In the final corner, the crumbling surface also forces the drivers to take wider lines. Anyone who leaves the track there immediately gets onto the worn dirt and loses grip instantly.
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Franco Colapinto spun on Friday and hit the track barrier, Max Verstapen was caught at the same spot on Saturday – but he was able to avoid an impact.
Norris: Finding the balance is difficult
Even polesitter Lando Norris experienced firsthand how unpredictable this interplay of changing grip and bumps is for the car’s balance. He vividly describes the constant probing for the limit in qualifying: “I mean, it’s just been difficult all weekend in the last sector.”
“Just look at any onboard camera: the last two corners, Turn 13 and 14, were extremely difficult to get right,” says the McLaren driver. “It feels like you’re either driving too cautiously – or you push a little bit more and have to work, the rear breaks out, you get understeer, sudden snap oversteer. It was extremely difficult to judge how much you can push and how much you can’t.”
Norris adds that these very patches made the subtle difference: “Also because the track is quite broken up in some places and there are many different asphalt patches in Turn 1 and Turn 12, I struggled to get a consistent feel for what is best in those corners or what the car does there every time,” says the Briton.
“The asphalt is definitely trickier than last year. Normally you have relatively good grip and it’s very even. This year, with the newer asphalt being worse than the old one, it’s much harder to find a good balance. But it’s the same for everyone, it’s just a good challenge,” he says.
Red Flag like in Monaco?
Looking ahead to the race, concerns are growing about a similar scenario to the Monaco Grand Prix in May. Back then, the race had to be red-flagged to fix torn-up asphalt pieces in the last corner with emergency repairs.
When 22 fully fueled, heavy cars roll over the Hungaroring on Sunday, the patched surface will be subjected to an extreme stress test. It remains to be hoped that the emergency repairs hold – otherwise, the Grand Prix also risks falling victim to an interruption.
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