Your guide to… Budapest

16 July 2020

The capital city of Hungary hosts Round 3 of the 2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship, as the paddock heads to the Hungaroring.

WHEN TO WATCH All times local (GMT +2)

Friday Free Practice: 12:55 – 13:40 Qualifying: 17:00 – 17:30 Press conference: 18:15

Saturday Feature race: 16:45 (37 laps) Press conference: 18:05

Sunday Sprint race: 11:10 (28 laps) Press conference: 12:15

THE STORY SO FAR

Two incredible opening rounds in Spielberg saw four different drivers claim maiden F2 victories, including three FIA Formula 3 graduates. Reigning F3 champion Robert Shwartzman grabbed his first win at this level in Saturday’s Feature Race, while Christian Lundgaard took a dominant Sprint Race victory on Sunday.

Fellow Formula 3 alumni Yuki Tsunoda also continued to impress in his Carlin machine, once again going fastest during practice, before converting that pace into pole position for the first time in F2 during Qualifying.

It looked as if no one would catch the Red Bull-backed driver on Saturday. His raw speed kept him out in front during a rain-delayed Feature Race before a radio problem meant he missed his optimum pit window. When Tsunoda finally came in for fresh rubber, he rejoined back in fifth. Shwartzman meanwhile battled to the front of the pack and held on for the win despite a heroic late charge from Tsunoda who fought back to second ahead of Guanyu Zhou in third.

Dan Ticktum started from reverse grid pole in Sunday’s Sprint Race but looked powerless to prevent Lundgaard passing him during the opening exchanges. The ART racer never looked like surrendering first place after taking the lead, and Ticktum had to be satisfied with his best F2 finish and a second successive podium in P2. Marcus Armstrong also added to his podium tally for the season, coming home in third place.

THE CHALLENGERS

Feature Race victory was enough to launch Shwartzman (48 pts) to the top of the Drivers’ Championship, with Lundgaard (43) moving up into second place, though level on points with Callum Ilott (43) in third. Ticktum (36) and Armstrong (34) are separated in fourth and fifth respectively.

ART Grand Prix (77) have extended their lead slightly in the Teams’ Championship, seven points in front of UNI-Virtuosi (70) in second. PREMA Racing (62) and DAMS (39) have climbed to third and fourth, while MP Motorsport (27) occupy fifth place.

Tyre management will play an incredibly important role when the cars hit Hungarian tarmac, and the demands placed on Pirelli’s medium and soft compounds will be high. The 18-inch tyres looked good in Austria, but a tight and twisting layout will prove a challenge for both drivers and teams. The right strategy could be crucial in another exciting instalment of F2 action!

FROM THE GRID – CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD (ART GRAND PRIX)

“The Hungaroring is my favourite track. I like the whole complex. I like the area and everything around the circuit. The facilities are good, and I think it’s quite unique. I wouldn't say it's a high-speed track, but that makes it a bit more demanding on the drivers, who can really make a difference.

“Budapest last year in F3 is absolutely one of my favourite memories. I was fastest in Free Practice, took pole position in Qualifying, and was P1 with the fastest lap in Race 1. That was the highlight of that weekend! Even in 2018 ‘s EuroCup I was quite strong pace-wise, but last year was a very good memory.

“Tyre degradation is usually quite high at the Hungaroring, so it’s quite demanding on the tyres. You have to take a lot of care with them, which will be quite challenging with the new 18-inch wheels. There will have to be quite a bit of tyre saving.

“The first part of the track is where we're likely to see the most action. It's difficult to overtake in the final two sectors, and if there are any overtakes there it's likely to be because of a mistake. I don't think people will be close enough to each other in the middle sector. The overtaking zones to watch out for are likely to be Turn 1 and Turn 2.

“I'm hoping we can carry on our momentum from Austria. I think it's only myself and Dan Ticktum who have scored points in all four races so far. It will be key to keep that going, but also to keep on improving like we did in Spielberg. I'm really looking forward to it. I have good memories and I'm very comfortable at the track. It will be an interesting weekend.”

TYRE TALK – MARIO ISOLA (PIRELLI’S HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING)

“The debut for our new 18-inch tyres in Austria went extremely well but now we look to Hungary: the action is non-stop for all the drivers. By the end of this weekend, they will have contested six races in quick succession, gaining plenty of valuable experience. The Hungaroring will provide a completely different test compared to the Red Bull Ring, as demands on tyres in Hungary are quite high despite the relatively low average speeds. Track position is key, so a fast lap at the right moment in qualifying is particularly crucial. Managing the tyres well and being clever with strategy can also create important opportunities in the races, as overtaking is never easy there.”

STAT PACK

The F2 race lap record at the Hungaroring is 1:29.121, set by Antonio Fuoco with PREMA Racing in 2017.
Yuki Tsunoda’s pole position in last weekend was Carlin’s first pole since 2019’s Round 2 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
With victory last Saturday, Robert Shwartzman became the fourth consecutive reigning GP3/F3 champion to win an FIA Formula 2 race. The Russian follows in the footsteps of Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Anthoine Hubert.
Triumph for ART Grand Prix last weekend saw them move to 15 wins in F2, becoming the team with the most victories in the Championship.
Christian Lundgaard became this season’s fourth different winner last weekend. The last time four different drivers took victory in the opening four races was in 2018. George Russell took his first F2 win in the fourth race that year, going on to win the championship.
Last Sunday’s Sprint Race podium, with Lundgaard, Dan Ticktum and Marcus Armstrong was the youngest in FIA Formula 2 Championship history.
Trident’s Roy Nissany set the fastest lap in both races last weekend, a first in the F2 career of both team and driver.
17 drivers on the current grid have led an F2 race at some point.
DAMS have won a race at the Hungaroring every year since the modern era of the FIA Formula 2 Championship began in 2017.
Two drivers on the current grid have taken F2 victory in Hungary before. Nobuharu Matsushita won the Sprint Race with ART Grand Prix in 2017, while Mick Schumacher and PREMA Racing were winners in 2019’s Sprint Race.
Lundgaard and Marcus Armstrong took race victories at the Hungaroring in the 2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship. The pair are F2 teammates at ART this season.