F1 | Hungarian Grand Prix: 5 historic successes for Ferrari

In Hungary, few overtakings, a lot of load and a lot of heat. And for the Scuderia Ferrari five “historic” successes

When formula 1 ran in Hungary for the first time, in 1986, there was still the Soviet Union and the so-called Eastern Bloc (who remembers that?). The Hungaroring was a slow and tortuous circuit, with impossible overtaking and spartan equipment. The infrastructure has now been modernised, the famous paddock staircase no longer exists, but the track, despite some changes over the years, has retained its characteristics. At the Hungaroring, a few kilometers from beautiful Budapest, qualifying counts more than on many other circuits. Yet Scuderia Ferrari's first victory on Hungarian soil, in 1989, was made even more brilliant by an incredible comeback by Nigel Mansell from the sixth row on the grid (over two seconds behind pole!) and by a historic overtaking on Senna, taking advantage of Johansson's dubbing.

Other times, of course, yet all the red victories on this track have something magical: after Mansell's, there is Michael Schumacher's "strategic" success in '98. The radio teams of that race, between the driver and the wall, made history: "Do you feel like going from two stops to three?". And he felt it, and how. And then the victories of Michael and Barrichello in 2001 and 2002, with the mathematical conquest of the world title; the 2004 "hat trick" (pole, first place and fastest lap) also by Schumi. And finally the lightning start two years ago, Seb Vettel's almost solo race to the top step of the podium.

Of all the world championship tracks, the Hungarian one is one of the shortest and most "demanding" in terms of aerodynamic load. The heat and degradation of the tires (here we will have Medium, Soft and Supersoft) are other factors to take into consideration. The risk of rain for the weekend is very low: good for the public, who can enjoy an excellent view here...