Heatwave set to impact Hungarian Grand Prix

Last year the Qatar Grand Prix was a punishing event for the entire Formula 1 grid.

We could see something similar this weekend in Hungary.

After a week off, the Formula 1 grid is headed to Budapest for this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. The race will be the first half of a doubleheader, along with next weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, ahead of the sport’s annual summer shutdown.

And speaking of summer …

One of the biggest potential factors in this weekend’s race is just that: The weather. Central Europe is in the middle of an extreme heatwave, and Hungary has seen record temperatures in recent days. On Sunday temperatures in Körösszakál reached 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit), breaking a record that has stood in Hungary for over a century. The heat also forced the temporary closure of Debrecen International Airport, the second-largest airport in the nation, as the extreme temperatures caused a fault in the runway surface.

While the heatwave is expected to peak over the coming days, meteorologists still expect high temperatures in Budapest over the weekend, during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Temperatures that could pose problems for tires, brakes, and drivers alike.

Currently, forecasts call for temperatures around 94 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday (34.4 degrees Celsius), which is down from current temperatures in Budapest but still above what conditions were during the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. Even though the weather was a bit cooler during last year’s race, track temperatures reached 53 degrees Celsius (127.4 degrees Fahrenheit), which according to Pirelli were the highest-recorded track temperatures through the 2023 season.

That could mean track temperatures during the race will be even higher than they were a season ago. And Saturday is not expected to be much better, with forecasts calling for temperatures around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. That could pose a factor during Saturday’s qualifying session.

This means that the cars, and the tires, will be stressed throughout the weekend. As noted by Pirelli the combination of the layout and the high heat means the tires are stressed throughout the lap, and in particular over the final few turns back towards the start/finish line. From Pirelli’s media preview:

Degradation can be high, especially when it is very hot and the forecast for this weekend is definitely not [favorable] in this regard, when one thinks back to last year when Hungary saw the highest recorded track temperature of the season at 53 °C. Overheating is therefore a factor that needs to be kept under control, not just in the race but also in qualifying: on the softest compound a driver must manage to get to the last two 180° corners of a flying lap with enough grip left, which is no mean feat, as the short straight sections of track do not give the [tires] much time to breathe.

In particular, look at the layout of the Hungaroring:

As you can see the third sector contains a short straight into the right-handed Turn 12, kicking off a pair of 180-degree turns that ends at Turn 14. From there the drivers face the one long straight, running from Turn 14 through the start/finish line and then into Turn 1.

That means that by the time the drivers get to the end of the third sector and try to rocket back to the start/finish line, particularly over a push lap like during qualifying, the tires will not have had much time to cool down, and grip levels might be at a minimum.

The hotter the track surface is, the tougher it will be.

Then there is what the layout does to the brakes. As noted in Mercedes’ team preview the layout of the Hungaroring means the drivers are doing a lot of braking over the lap. “The amount of braking activity, with six events across the lap, coupled with the high ambient temperatures and the absence of long straights make the circuit exceptionally taxing on the brakes,” noted Mercedes in their preview of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Plus, the Hungarian Grand Prix sees low average speeds due to the layout, and some of the lowest top speeds of the season. As Mercedes notes, drivers spend just around ten seconds on straights over a single lap at the Hungaroring.

As such, there is not a ton of airflow to cool the brakes throughout a single lap. “The low average speed at the Hungaroring also limits airflow,” noted Mercedes in their preview, “which makes it even more of a challenge to cool the brakes.”

Finally, there is what the temperatures do to the drivers themselves.

Last year’s Qatar Grand Prix was a punishing event for the drivers, as a combination of tire restrictions and high temperatures left many drivers ill during, and after the race. Esteban Ocon admitted to vomiting during the Qatar Grand Prix, and Logan Sargeant retired from the race due to the conditions, having battled the flu earlier in the week.

Following the race the FIA launched an investigation into the “extreme” cockpit heat, but with the conditions expected to be extremely hot this weekend, the drivers might be in for another punishing race.

“It looks like conditions will be extremely hot too so the full race distance will be a really tough one for all the drivers from a physical point of view,” noted Pierre Gasly in Alpine’s media preview.

With the high heat expected in Budapest this weekend the tires, the brakes, and even the drivers themselves will be pushed to the absolute limit.