The Hungaroring resurfaced parts of its track. The track is now breaking apart. You genuinely could not make it up. After a chaotic Friday of practice at the Hungarian GP, the FIA ordered overnight remedial work on Turn 1 following complaints from drivers about a circuit that looked, in places, like it was trying to escape itself.
What on Earth Happened to the Track?
Sections of the Hungaroring have been resurfaced within the past two years, but a hot, dry Hungarian summer caused sub-surface settlement, making existing bumps worse and opening fresh cracks in the asphalt. Turns 1, 12 and 13 were all affected, with loose stones making the off-line areas treacherously dirty.
The problems were apparently first spotted two weekends ago during an International GT Open event. Someone knew. The repairs done ahead of the F1 weekend were, to put it diplomatically, insufficient.
Pirelli confirmed that grip levels measured on Wednesday were actually lower than last year. Lower. After a resurfacing job. That takes a special kind of effort.
Drivers Were Not Amused
George Russell did not bother sugar-coating it.
“Budapest is an amazing track to drive but they’ve resurfaced half of the track, super bumpy, a lot of it’s breaking up around the last couple of corners, which is making it quite strange to drive on.” – George Russell
Oscar Piastri was equally blunt, noting the new sections offered barely any grip while also wearing away rapidly. Franco Colapinto, who missed FP1 to accommodate a rookie session and was already playing catch-up, found out about the surface the hard way by parking his Alpine at Turn 12.
For context on how much Russell was already struggling with the car itself, his Hungarian GP weekend was already under pressure before the track crumbled.
The Monaco Warning Nobody Needed to Hear Again
The FIA is acutely aware of what happened in Monaco, where a deteriorating resurfaced section eventually forced a race red flag for emergency repairs. Race director Rui Marques conducted a track inspection on Friday night, and organisers worked to compress the worst bumps at Turn 1, addressing both the racing line and the area where an overtaking car would run.
“It was inspected and remedial works were undertaken overnight. Two areas were addressed, one on the line itself and one to the right of the line where an overtaking car would travel.” – FIA Statement
Pirelli’s Simone Berra warned the rough surface would accelerate tyre overheating, which could compound lap by lap in race conditions, particularly if temperatures rise through the weekend.
Will It Hold Together?
The patches are in. Whether they hold through qualifying and 70 race laps is another question entirely. Warmer conditions are expected as the weekend progresses, which is precisely the scenario Berra flagged as most damaging for tyre degradation.
If the surface holds, Budapest delivers a cracking race. If it does not, expect safety cars, red flags, and a very uncomfortable conversation between F1 and the circuit organisers about what exactly they spent the resurfacing budget on.
