Hungarian Grand Prix to run in scorching heat

2013 Hungarian Grand Prix weather

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This weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix is forecast to be one of the hottest F1 races of all time.

A heatwave will push temperatures towards 40C on Sunday. Cloud cover at the track today will keep the mercury in the low thirties to begin with, but three days of sunshine are expected after that.

The heat will rise over the three days of running from around 34C when practice starts to around 38C on race day. And there will be little in the way of a breeze to cool things down.

This will present especially gruelling conditions for the drivers and their cars. The current forecast temperatures are not far off the highest temperatures ever recorded at a grand prix, though detailed records for all races are not available.

One of the hottest races of recent times was at Bahrain in 2005, when the air temperature reached 42C and track temperature peaked at a scorching 57C.

There will be regular updates on the track conditions during each session on F1 Fanatic Live and the F1 Fanatic Twitter account.

Location of Hungaroring

The Hungaroring lies to the east of the Hungarian capital Budapest.

See the location of every race on the 2013 F1 calendar here:

2013 Hungarian Grand Prix

Browse all 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix articles

Image © Red Bull/Getty

Author information

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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30 comments on “Hungarian Grand Prix to run in scorching heat”

    1. I lol’d, I was just thinking about that yesterday!

  1. Typo:
    Sunday, not Sundayday
    @keithcollantine

  2. I really feel for the drivers. I know their job is never easy but this weekend I’m going to feel a bit uncomfortable, while sitting on my comfy sofa, watching the race and knowing how unbearable it is for the boys. The eventual winner truly deserves a place in the F1 Hall of Fame.

    1. Do you also feel for bricklayers or anyone working at noon outside or even on asphalt?

      1. They get to take breaks, they’re also not forced to wear several layers of fire proof clothing and a helmet.

      2. It’s always tough to work in such a heat but bricklayers obviously don’t have to cope with G Forces of up to 4G for 90 minutes without interruption. And there is enough heat in the cockpit even when air temperature is moderate:

        http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/understanding_the_sport/5298.html

        Every work deserves respect but I don’t think you can compare driving an F1 car with any ordinary job.

        1. Yes every work deserves respect and you can compare F1 to any “ordinary” job. Why not? It’s about how hard it is, if you can compare a doctor to an airline pilot, why not F1 driver to whatever comes to mind? The result of this comparison can be ridiculous but sure you can do it.

          1. @jcost I’m not a linguistics expert. I just wanted to point out that it’s much harder to drive an F1 car than build something out of bricks, which is actually obvious.

        2. I think the key difference here is that bricklayers don’t make millions, they aren’t cheered by fans for the bricks they lay, and when they finish the wall, they don’t go to a glamorous party with a supermodel. I can admire F1 drivers and their abilities, but I certainly don’t feel sorry for them.

  3. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    25th July 2013, 10:44

    Well, this should play into the hands of the two Loti somewhat.

    1. Plural of locus…loci
      Plural of Lotus..Loti…
      LOL

      1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
        25th July 2013, 12:32

        ;)

  4. Lotus and Ferrari will both be smiling on Sunday. That is if they qualifey good enough.

    1. I thought the same thing, especially with Pirelli bringing softer compounds than they originally planned. I hope the tires can cope with it.

    2. On the other hard, Lewis Hamilton is expected to pit on lap #3 for fresh rubber…

      1. And again on lap 6

        1. So Merc for a 5 stopper, then?

  5. @keithcollantine Here’s my favourite local weather forecast for Mogyorod:

    http://koponyeg.hu/t/Mogyor%C3%B3d

    Below you can see radar pics and stuff, of course 100% not to be used this year with no rain, but it could be useful for the future as well.

  6. This will certainly be a test for the new tyres.

  7. Mercedes may as well just sit this one out

    1. I was thinking the same thing!
      After Silverstone nothing positive has graced the silver arrows at all.
      I really hope their luck turns.

      1. @gazz There’s been only one race after Silverstone..

        1. Very true, however I wouldn’t consider the result in Germany positive for a team that consistently gains pole positions.
          It seems they are going into the race on the back foot this weekend, no knowledge of the new tyres, heat that is likely to aid in ripping them to shreds and also Lewis is still moaning about Nicole.
          Doesn’t seem very positive to me.

  8. I’ll be sweating in front of my telly

  9. When I was there in 2005, we constantly wetted our tshirts and tied them around our heads.

  10. The heat in Hungary can be brutal. I was there in 2006 (Button), 2007 (Hamilton) and 2009 (Hamilton); and 2007 in particular was roasting hot, regularly in the mid-30s. The track doesn’t have a huge amount of shade around it either, so you’re just out there baking away.

    Still a great place to watch F1!

  11. Doesn’t look likes it’s going to be humid at all, so for the drivers it probably won’t be as physically exhausting as a race in Malaysia or Singapore. How the tyres behave will be worth watching, though.

    1. Temperatures are always deceiving when humidity or wind factors are not considered.

      I’ve been to Las Vegas and experienced a 43C afternoon. But with no humidity to speak of, and plenty of wind gusts, it felt like it was practically 33-34C.

      I live in Memphis, one of the most humid parts of America, and it’s not uncommon for the temperature to be 30C yet feel like 38C.

  12. jimscreechy (@)
    25th July 2013, 14:28

    Excellent! I find weekends with the largest numbers of scantily clad ladies provide the most entertainment outside the on-track action.

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