Why the Hungarian GP was what every F1 race in 2026 should have been

Among many Formula 1 followers in the paddock, Hungary is one of the favourite destinations, at least during the European leg of the season. The event is well organised, the traffic is better managed than at places such as Spa, the new pit building – including the media centre – is impressive, and the nearby city of Budapest does the rest. The fact that it is the final race before the summer break usually adds to a last-day-of-school atmosphere.

Naturally, none of that should influence how a race weekend is judged purely from an F1 perspective. The Hungaroring has long been appreciated by drivers for its flowing sequence of corners, but the circuit has certainly not always produced spectacular racing. Overtaking has often proved difficult there, although it can be argued that this says more about the chassis regulations, the ever-growing size of the cars over the years and the effects of dirty air.

As Nikolas Tombazis has rightly pointed out, this year's chassis regulations are a step in the right direction. The cars are slightly smaller and lighter than those from the ground-effect era, while the reduction in downforce means drivers have to wrestle the cars more than before.

The impact of dirty air has also been reduced, although it is something that has barely been talked about so far. The reason is simple: everything during the opening months of 2026 has been overshadowed by the power units, with energy management, clipping and super clipping as the defining buzzwords.

It has created the strange situation whereby the circuits drivers used to enjoy the most have now become the most painful to drive. Think of the huge loss of speed through Suzuka's 130R, how Copse and Maggots and Becketts felt completely different for drivers this year, and Oscar Piastri's entirely valid complaints at Spa about the power units' "self-learning algorithms".

Genuine overtaking and strategic variety in Hungary

Drivers were less reliant on energy management at the Hungarian GP

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

By contrast, tracks that were often regarded as the most problematic for entertaining races now suddenly feel the most natural. Monaco is one example. Admittedly, overtaking still did not happen there, but it was refreshing to analyse qualifying data without having to focus on energy management for once.

Then there is probably the best example so far: the Hungaroring. The Hungarian Grand Prix featured many of the ingredients that make an F1 race entertaining. Maybe not in the sense of the TikTok generation, with 84 overtakes in 10 seconds created by pressing the boost button, making them largely meaningless. Instead, it was entertaining because of the balance – the way F1 should be.

The opening stint was exciting, with several top teams running relatively close together. Overtaking proved possible, but crucially not too easy. Drivers could launch overtaking moves into Turn 1, but those moves generally had to be completed under braking, rather than simply blasting past on the straight with countless extra horsepower, as we have often seen this year.

The best examples came from Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen produced a superb move on Hamilton by braking very late into Turn 1. Liam Lawson had just been overtaken by both drivers moments earlier, giving the New Zealander a front-row seat.

Hamilton impressed with two overtakes around the outside on Arvid Lindblad and Isack Hadjar. Those are the sort of moves diehard fans want to see

"I was just trying not to get in the way," Lawson smiled. "I didn't expect him to go by. Obviously, I saw the late lunge. It ended up costing me so much time behind them, which at the time was a bit stressful, but it was a good move. It was a very Max move."

Hamilton, meanwhile, impressed with two overtakes around the outside on Arvid Lindblad and Isack Hadjar. Those are the sort of moves diehard fans want to see, unlike what Lando Norris described in Japan, where he said he had not even wanted to overtake Hamilton into the final chicane, but effectively had no choice because of his MGU-K deployment.

Alongside those overtakes, Hungary also offered strategic variety. That is something tyre supplier Pirelli has been chasing for a long time and, when it actually happens, it adds another layer of intrigue to a race.

Three-stop, two-stop and one-stop strategies all featured last Sunday, and that too is the ideal scenario: giving teams multiple options that are relatively close in overall race time, leading to different strategic choices. That is easier said than done – including in Pirelli's preparations – but in Hungary all of those factors came together.

"It reminds me of the old days"

Drivers were buoyant after Hungary

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

The drivers shared a similar view post-race. They too felt that the Hungarian Grand Prix was F1 as it should be, perhaps for one of the few times this year.

"It was nice," Esteban Ocon concluded when asked by Autosport. "That side of things, to be able to choose a little bit more the gears that we are putting in and the driving style that we want, it's so much better. It reminds me of the old days a little bit.

"I had the smile from the start of the weekend to the end, so that's cool."

That all sounds positive, although there is another side to the story. The natural style of racing seen at the Hungaroring is not possible with the current power units at some of F1's most iconic circuits. In 2026, those venues have become known as "energy-starved".

After the race in Budapest, Hadjar summed up the situation perfectly. According to him, how enjoyable a circuit is for drivers now depends largely on its energy management characteristics.

"It feels good to reach your top speed at the end of the straights, back to classic racing,” said the Red Bull driver. “It's a bit sad that now you're ranking the good tracks as high-energy tracks. That's how we rank the tracks now...

"Spa is one of the best tracks, but it was one of the worst to drive. It feels good to go back to things like this. We expect Zandvoort to be good as well. We need to enjoy it while we can before Monza."

That final remark is the perfect summary of the current situation. Yes, Hungary produced a genuinely entertaining race and was what F1 should have looked like every race weekend this year. But, exactly as Hadjar said, that is simply not possible at every track with these power units.

That makes F1's own figures from its Formula 1 Fan Voice programme all the more remarkable. According to the championship, significantly more fans than last year rated the race at Spa as "good" or "excellent", while Hungary's figures were identical to those from a year ago. 

Remarkable!

It is certainly safe to say that most drivers hold a rather different opinion, and, to be fair, that opinion is entirely understandable.

Zandvoort up next (21-23 August) should be similar to Hungary, before F1's trip to Monza

Photo by: Gabriele Lanzo / Alessio Morgese / NurPhoto via Getty Images