PREVIEW: Budapest plays host to Round 10 before the summer break

It is the final race weekend before the summer break and the paddock makes it way from Spa-Francorchamps to Budapest for Round 10.

Leonardo Fornaroli and his Invicta Racing team come into the weekend at the top of both Championships, but they will expect plenty of competition from their rivals as the title battles heat up.

So here is everything you need to know ahead of the Hungaroring action…

WHAT TO EXPECT

Free Practice kicks off the weekend at 11:05 local time on Friday morning, and that is a key 45 minutes for the drivers, as they prepare themselves for Qualifying at 15:55 later that day.

That session will set the grid for both races, the first of which is the Sprint Race, and that will take place at 14:15 local time on Saturday afternoon.

The drivers will get one more shot at glory on Sunday morning in the Feature Race, which is set to get underway at 10:00 local time.

Let us see who shines the brightest heading into the summer break.

STAT PACK

• Kush Maini is the only driver on the grid to have won at Budapest in Formula 2, having taken the Sprint Race victory in 2024.

• So far this year, only once has the pole-sitter gone on to win the Feature Race – Arvid Lindblad in Barcelona.

• In seven previous visits to Budapest only twice has the pole-sitter won the Formula 2 Feature Race – Oliver Rowland in 2017 and Jack Doohan in 2023.

• With Roman Stanek inheriting the Feature Race victory at Spa, there have been nine total winners this season.

FROM THE GRID – Victor Martins, ART Grand Prix

“It’s a really technical track. It’s got everything, high-speed, low-speed, and medium-speed corners, and it also demands a lot of the tyres.

“Turn 1 is probably the best place to overtake. I think after the DRS zone and the main straight, the braking zone is the best place to overtake. There is also Turn 2 as well after another DRS zone.

“Budapest is quite demanding on the tyres. Physically, also, at this time of the year, it’s quite hot and with the track itself, you need to be in the flow of things, and you have to get everything right without over pushing. There are a lot of medium speed corners, so you have to get the setup right, so you can feel confident.”

TECHNICAL PREVIEW

Pierre-Alain Michot, FIA Formula 2 Technical Director

“The Hungaroring is a very unique circuit that requires a high downforce setup, as it is a track that has a lot of medium and low speed corners. This means there will be a lot of demands placed on the tyres, especially if temperatures are high, which they can be in Budapest, so managing the tyres, not only in the races, but also across their Qualifying laps will be key for the drivers.

“However, even with the number of corners, braking demands are not high, with Turn 1 the only heavy braking zone. There are also two DRS zones to open the lap, giving the drivers opportunities to overtake.”

PIRELLI PREVIEW

The Budapest weekend sees a return to having two consecutive compounds, after last year’s experiment to jump one. This means the Medium and Soft tyres are called into service for the final round before the summer break. This choice should lead to a greater variety of strategies in the Feature Race. Last year, the grid was split exactly in half between the compounds on offer, the Soft and Hard. Track temperature will definitely be a factor on a track which last year recorded the highest temperature of the entire season. Very hot conditions can reduce or even eliminate the risk of graining. In this case, the Soft could have the edge over the Medium in terms of performance, despite exhibiting slightly more degradation. While the harder compound will be the favourite for the Sprint, in the Feature it’s likely the field will be split evenly between the two strategies. However, if conditions are cooler, drivers might need to manage their tyres for several laps because of the appearance of graining.