Formula-1 at Hungaroring, Budapest, Magyarország
1—3.08.2008
Formula 1 first became a possibility in Hungary in 1986 when Bernie Ecclestone audaciously thought of the idea of holding the sports event behind the Iron Curtain. At first he tried for over three years to persuade Moscow to take part, but after this time he just couldn't persuade the Soviet leaders to grant a permit for the competition- But in 1986 he received some advice that he should try Budapest and Hungary. Autosports competitions have always been popular in our country as a circuit of the Népligeti stadium had been organised in 1936 (1. Hungarian 'Nagydíj'). Eccleston quickly began organising his plans, first of all inspecting the old racing curcuit. As it became clear, for the purposes of the competition, a new curcuit would be needed to be built. This is how the track at Mogyoród was born, near to the Hungariring, which was created by Papp István.
The circuit lies in an ideal location, in a natural arena, and at the time of its construction it had every suitable amenity.
At the first Formula 1 event in Hungary, in 1986, practically the whole of the Eastern Block stood in line. Since then the competition has been extremely popular, with enormous numbers of people arriving from other countries, particularly from Germany.
In 2003 re-construction work on some stretches of the Hungaroring was undertaken, for example on the section just before the home straight the worst parts of the circuit were remedied, that is, that there are few opportunities to overtake.
The circuit it unbelievably technical and requires engineers to perfectly tune each part, with perfect concentration from the driver. Overtaking isn't easy as a result of the narrow width of the asphalt.
The circuits interest is that it is only world champions who know how to win here, with the exception of Thierry Boutsen (1990), who never managed to claim the prize himself, but did serve to assist Rubens Barrichello and Kimi Raikkonen in 2002 and 2005 respectively to take the prize home.
A Few Statistics:
Winners:
- Michael Schumacher (4)
- Ayrton Senna (3)
- Damon Hill (2)
- Jacques Villeneuve (2)
- Mika Hakkinen (2)
- Nelson Piquet (2)
Teams:
- Williams (7)
- McLaren (6)
- Ferrari (5)
Circuit Details:
- Number of laps:70
- Length of track: 4381 m
- Distance of race: 306,663 Km
- Track record: M. Schumacher (1:32.252.- 2004)
Formula 1 information: www.hungaroring.hu
Ordering Tickets:
www.forma1club.hu
Contact Details: Hungaroring Forma-1 Klub Egyesülete
Address: 1052 Budapest, Apáczai Csere J. u. 11.
Tel: +36-1-327-0987, F: +36-1-327-0988, E: info@forma1club.hu
