Hungaroring plans track tweaks and new deal to 2021

2012 F1 season

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Bernie Ecclestone has met with representatives of the Hungaroring to discuss an extension of the race’s contract until the 2021 season.

A circuit representative told F1 Fanatic the race organisers hope to conclude a deal covering to 2017 to 2021 seasons next year.

Potential alterations to the Hungaroring’s layout to improve overtaking opportunities were discussed at the meeting, with the possibility of F1 drivers giving their input into any changes. The circuit was last altered in 2003.

Improvements to medical and spectator facilities at the track are also planned.

Hungary held its first Grand Prix in 1986. The new contract would see it remain on the calendar for a total of 36 seasons.

2012 F1 season


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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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50 comments on “Hungaroring plans track tweaks and new deal to 2021”

  1. i’m from Hungary, and i was under the impression that they signed the deal until 2021 yesterday. And few weeks ago i read about the planned layout changes, but nothing specific.

  2. It’s wierd, this circuit has been on the calander for such a long time, even though it’s not that exceptional. (Early years I get why, behind the iron curtain and all. )

    which is why for some reason it does not register in my head as on of the great traditional european circuits. I would name Monza, Spa, Imola, Silverstone, Monaco, The Nordschleife, or even Zandvoort and Anderstorp. but for some reason the Hungaroring never gets anywhere close to that list.

    I suspect if I hadn’t just read this article, and someone asked me if there was a GOP in Hungaria, I would have probably said: not that comes to mind, lol

  3. I’m happy with this, it’s one of the most curious race tracks of the year and among the current crop of lacklustre circuits, the Hungaroring is one of my favourite circuits.

    The only changes I can think of that would make the circuit a little better would be to remove that chicane at the far end of the circuit to make it more flowing and to extend the run between the penultimate and final corner, thus extending the pit straight along with it, ergo, better overtaking chances.

    1. It definitely needs an extended straight; this is one of the tracks on the calendar that I think for sure needs DRS. The only problem is, can they extend the straight? I’m also under the impression that it is very difficult to get close to a car ahead in the final turn, so that could be ammended.

      1. no no no. i’m tired of all these excessivley long straights in f1. keep the hungaroring straight as it is.

        leave turns 1-11 alone. i love the flow of it. not sure what you could do with 11-14. but i;m sure something could be done.

  4. The Hungaroring is one of my favourite circuits. Sure it may not be a classic but there is just something about it that seems to throw up interesting racing. The key word being interesting. The racing may not be great, or even that memorable but I would definitely say it is interesting.
    It may stem from overtaking being difficult, and the track being relatively short, thus making different strategies more viable, but the race usually has a different feel to it.
    This could all be crazy talk and I could be wrong, but that’s my impressions of it and the way I see it.. :)

    1. I agree completely, I get the same feeling with Albert park, it’s just such a unique track. One of my absolute favorites.

    2. Yeah, I agree! I’ve like the Hungaroring ever since I started watching F1, and I loved driving it in good ole’ F1 GP 1 back then. It seems to always throw up an interesting race in one way or the other, and I find it pleasantly unconventional that it’s turns, turns, and more turns.

  5. Bob (@bobthevulcan)
    8th November 2012, 13:18

    The Hungaroring draws crowds from all over Eastern Europe, even more so since the untimely demise of the Turkish GP. The track has a kind of character seldom seen among the modern tracks – twisty, fast and undulating. It’s cemented itself as a fan favourite, and it would be great to see it stay on the calendar.

    It’s always been difficult to overtake here (this year’s race demonstrated the lack of passing inherent to the track), so the planned modifications to the layout come as no surprise. I can see them trying to extend the pit straight even further than they already have, maybe even re-profiling parts of Sector Two to create a new overtaking opportunity? On another note, I see a large suburban development to the east of the track – could there be any issues with land acquisition or noise restrictions?

    1. could there be any issues with land acquisition or noise restrictions?

      A feew weeks earlier, when the meeting in Abu Dhabi was announced, Gyulai (CEO of the Ring), has said, that the track would get some soundproofing along with the new layout. I think it only depends on the $$$.

  6. Hands off, Hermann!!!

    1. Dunno – I have no clue what he’d do with it, but personally, I find Hockenheim a massive improvement over the previous layout.

      Don’t bite … don’t bite!!! It sure was cool to see the cars speeding through the forest, but as races, I always found them very boring and they were finished before I got the time to get a second cup of coffee. The new version has thrown up entertaining races more often than not.

      1. it would be a fine track if it had been built fresh somewhere else. but it destroyed a historical and unique track. Its gone, forever and thats hard to accept. 10+yrs and if you say Hockenheim i still think of the old one.

  7. The Hungaroring is such an oddity on the modern F1 calenar. It has never been a circuit which has recieved high acclaim from the drivers but as the tracks which have been added to the calendar more recently have become more and more sterile and standardised its stock seems to have risen! It also attracts crowds from many countries, has a great atmoshpere on race day by all accounts and seems to be a great place to visit for a GP, so I guess it makes sense to have it on the calendar.

    1. Funny how I still remember people (and drivers) complaining about this track and the fact it gave boring races!
      If so, does that mean that over time even the likes of Yas Marina, Valencia and Korea can get people enthusiastically defending it? I guess races like we have seen in the first 2 of those this year certainly help.

  8. This is a favourite circuit of mine, not least because the drivers love it due to the challenging sections in sector two. Ok overtaking is limited but that doesn’t bother me that much to be honest. I also like the hideous ‘knot’ sculpture in a kitsch kind of way.

    Curiously, I can’t remember a hungaroring wet race apart from the Button victory, does anyone else remember one?

    1. The hideous sculpture: link

      1. @f1mre Which was also won by Mr Button.

      2. Once again my idiocy knows no bounds. Thanks!!

  9. 2003 and 2006 ALonso’s and Button’s first win.
    Aloso even gave a lap to MSC in 2003!
    2007 the Alonso Quali incident
    2009 Felipe
    But i’m from Hungary, so ofc i know this. There is a small town east of the circuit, and they have a LOT of noise complaints, even on open track days. I don’t think they can extended the start finish straight even further, but removeing the chicane could really improve the flow, i agree

    maybe they could make the last corner much sharper, maybe

    1. Lol they can make it so that the previous corner has two tracks/paths, one faster and one slower. You can only use the short track when you are within 1 second of the car in front XD

      1. Previous should read “final/last”.

        1. Don’t forget 2006 and 2008!

  10. run it anti clockwise and remove the chicane

    1. I always drive the wrong way round on F1 97, turn 3 the wrong way round is just frightening!

    2. It’s unlikely that will happen because it would obviously pose huge safety issues but you never know it could make things much more interesting!

      1. I think they have space for the runoffs they would need! Turns 4 and 3 would be fantastic in the opposite direction!

  11. This is one of the best tracks to drive :D

    1. I hate watching races here, but like driving races in F1 2011 here.

  12. hm, im not really a big fan of this track. Qualifying always sets up for an exiting race, but it then it always fails to impress me on sundays. Something big has to be done .. But to be honest, i wouldn’t mis this race, if it would be replaced.

  13. Changing the in-field section would get a negative reaction from drivers & thats the section they all love because its pretty fast, flowing & has some technical bits.

    Removing the chicane would make that section faster but would not do anything for overtaking as the next few corners are all pretty quick & not corners you would see overtaking at unless the car in front makes a mistake.

    You can’t extend the start straight anymore as there is a drop just beyond the turn 1 runoff.

    About the only change you could make is to remove the final 2 corners, This would create a longer straight just before the final corner & you could alter the final corner to not only create a passing spot there but also allow cars to get a better run on a car ahead into turn 1.

    The problem with that however is that the drivers also enjoy the final corner so probably wouldn’t like to see it altered.

    1. I’m afraid that changes to “improve overtaking possibilites” will kill the glamour of the track.
      In the last 5-8 seasons there were so many new tracks built and almost all of them are poor regarding overtaking…. India, Korea, Abu Dhabi(except 2012)… the new Silversone layout isn’t impressive either…

      Corner 2-3-4 should be kept as it is and after the chicane the left-right-left combo should also be kept.

  14. I think overtaking will improve if you make the long, fast part after the few first corners more like the current Hockenheimring, and the next chicane tighter. Problem is that there is a significant difference in height to cover.

    I have made a crude image from my idea: http://i.imgur.com/f0LrX.jpg

    What do you think about this idea?

    1. Corner 4 is a huge challenge for the drivers(anyway we call it ‘Mansell’). That corner would be missed.

      But I also think that that’s the part of the track(after corner 4 to the chicane) which could and should be rebuilt.

      1. I do agree with you, that corner is a challenge now, will be missed, but it also makes it quite hard to follow another car close enough to overtake.

        I think that when you make the corner as sharp as in Hockenheim or India (the one before the long straight), with a chicane comparable with the one in Monza, you will get two spots for overtaking (as long as the tarmac is wide enough)

        It will take some character out of this track, for sure, but with more overtaking races will be much more interesting.

    2. http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1280/hungaroringversion20.jpg

      I decided to have a go with it, to have a unrealistic but quite radical change to the track. Just a bit of fun. The black part is what I’d really like to see, and the red are like extra bits that could be put in.

    3. petebaldwin (@)
      8th November 2012, 20:16

      I’d definitely miss turn 4 but I can see your point. Still not sure the straight would be long enough to create a passing opportunity.

      It’d be very difficult to make any changes to offer good passing opportunities without completely changing the fell of the track…

  15. This isnt a bad track. It’s challenging for the drivers, it just doesnt present many opportunities for overtaking. I’m not sure what changes they have in mind, but I think losing turns 11 and 12, straightening the track out and making what is now turn 13 into turn 11 wouldnt be a bad move. Granted this would be unlikely to increase overtaking, but I think it would make the track more fluid. Turns 11 and 12 have always annoyed me for some reason…!

    Let’s just hope they use the same company that Silverstone used. They seem to have some good ideas which improve racing and the spectacle of the sport, without compromising the view for the spectators or the safety of the drivers.

  16. It’s a nice drive in the videogames – and the driver’s like the challenge in real life – it has a picturesque setting, and it’s central location means it gets strong crowds, it will be interesting to see what changes they make to the layout, but it’s definitely deserving of a contract extension.

  17. Interesting !

    I have made a little mock-up of what I’d change in that layout and posted it in the forum some 11 months ago.
    https://www.racefans.net/groups/f1/forum/topic/playing-with-the-hungaroring-layout-opinion-welcome/
    ‘d be happy to have more feedback !

    1. I think you take on it is quite interesting. The tight corner you built in probably needs a bit of tweaking to give the track a nice flow from there, but I like the approach @gwenouille

  18. Something i forgot to mention in my 1st post is that one problem with big alterations to the circuit is that many of the fields surrounding it are privately owned.

    Big part of the infield also used to be privately owned but that was brought by circuit owners some years ago.

  19. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com?r=5732703

    I slightly increased the length of the pit straight to allow for more overtaking into Turn 1. I’ve then tried to continue the flow of the back part of the circuit by adding a fast left hander past the grand stand after Turn 12 and added a short straight to a corner not to disimiliar to Turn 8 at Turkey. There is then another long straight (a second DRS zone) into the hairpin at Turn 13 where there is enough run-off for safety. What does everyone think?

  20. I think that this track really needs a second DRS zone between turns 3 and 4 or maybe even turns 1 and 2 IMO.

    It’d really help with the overtaking in this rather tight track.

  21. So F1 is willing to have THIS circuit on the calendar…but they want to change it? Stupid. What’s the damn obsession with overtaking. Leave it as it is, it’s fine. Valencia and Abu Dhabi went very much against the grain this year.

  22. I am surprised that they are going to keep the Hungarian track for so long, considering that they will be opening two more tracks in the United States. Plus, the Hungarian race never seems to be a very popular race. But, if they plan on changing the track up some that should be interesting. I’m anxious to see it spruced up.

  23. The only change that should be done to this circuit is to remove that slow chicane in the 2nd sector.
    Why’s that? Well, let’s see:
    1. It would help improving overtaking, because that chicane “ruins” many fights that come from the 1st sector. Without it, drivers could try to attack until the next turn. It would be still difficult, but the chances would be bigger.
    2. It’s not an exciting turn. It’s slow, narrow, just a boring chicane. In a circuit that is already slow, such slow turn is not really needed. The circuit would become more flowing for drivers and the next left would be more challenging.
    3. If a driver is very close to the front guy’s rear wing when getting into that chicane and does not overtake him there, the defending driver will get away because that turn is too slow and narrow, and a gap of 0,2s sundenly turns into a 0,6s gap, which makes drivers arrive to the main straight already with a gap of almost 1s. Without that chicane, that gap would still be 0,2s on the next left (if not converted into an overtaking move) and they could easily be closer when arriving the main straight.

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