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Where does everyone stand in the lead up to the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix?

The Hungaroring circuit is often known as the most alike to a karting track in the whole F1 calendar.  The lack of straights and the several series of corners that the track is comprised of lead teams to elect for a level of downforce similar to Monaco. This twisty and narrow circuit is a stark contrast to the fast corners and long straights of Silverstone so teams must adapt there car for the new conditions.


Red Bull

Following the promising P2 race result of Max Verstappen in Silverstone, Red Bull is entering the Hungarian grand prix with new upgrades in place in the hopes of securing more victories for the Dutch driver. 

Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Perez, has become known for not making it to Q1 or even Q2 over the last few races, securing two consecutive DNF's in both Monaco (due to a collision with Kevin Magnussen) and Canada (after a dramatic crash into the trackside barriers resulting in severe damage to his car). 

After his disappointing P17 result in Silverstone and rumours of a possible break clause in his contract should he fall too far behind his teammate, Perez will be hoping to achieve an outstanding point finish in the upcoming race. 



Ferrari

Since the Canadian Grand Prix in June Ferrari seems to have exerted all their resources on securing a home race win for Monégasque Charles Leclerc. After a double DNF in Canada when Leclerc suffered from an engine issue and his teammate, Carlos Sainz, spun out in turn 1 of lap 52, colliding with William’s driver Alex Albon and ending the race for both drivers.

Since then, Ferrari has had a continuous streak of bad luck with Charles remaining out of the points in the last two races. With McLaren gaining on them in the constructors championship as they battle with Red Bull, the Italian team needs to regain their former streak of podium finishes if they hope to remain at the top.


McLaren

Throughout this season, McLaren has achieved podiums left and right however they always seem to miss out on another win. After British driver Lando Norris secured his first win in Miami earlier this year he has made it known that he is hungry for more race wins although it appears that this is not as easy for him to accomplish as he expected. 

There has been much close racing between Norris and Verstappen over the past few races and there is no doubt that we can expect more at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Similarly to his teammate, Oscar Piastri has been making his way to the top of the drivers’ championship surpassing Red Bull’s Sergio Perez due to his 6 consecutive top five finishes over the last few races. With McLaren making strides to climb the ranks of F1 teams the Aussie driver will be reaching for a much-deserved grand prix win.


Mercedes

Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix Mercedes were continuously in the bottom half of the top ten, still scoring points but seemingly not fast enough to race for podiums. The team has had a turn around since Canada and have been racing for the points, securing two third places and two P1’s with both drivers over the last four race weekends.

George Russell’s win in Austria may have been influenced by the collision between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, but there’s no denying that his raw talent is what secured him the winning podium place. Unfortunately, he suffered a retirement from the Silverstone race due to a suspected water issue with the car. Russell will be hoping to make up for lost points by securing a podium finish this weekend.

After his home race victory in Silverstone, 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will be looking to make it two victories in a row and secure more points for Mercedes in his last year with them before joining Ferrari next year.

Aston Martin

After a promising result in Silverstone of 7th and 8th, Aston Martin will be vying for points this weekend in the hopes to get the edge on their fellow mid-field competition. With new upgrades to the wind tunnel on the cars the Silverstone based team must have high hopes for the upcoming race. 


VCARB

Recent races have seen the Red Bull junior team making strides in terms of pace achieving multiple points finishes. As Yuki Tsunoda has a 2025 contract in hand, Australian Daniel Ricciardo will need a good race finish this weekend if he hopes to remain with the VCARB team next year.



Haas

The recent pace of Haas has seen the team swiftly climbing the ranks in the last few races slowly accumulating vital championship points and gaining on their competitors. With the announcement of Kevin Magnussen leaving the team at the end of the season and Nico Hulkenberg heading to Sauber next year through the transition to Audi the team will be hoping to finish their last season with these two drivers strongly. 

Alpine

Alpine’s disappointing end to the Silverstone grand prix will lead the team grasping for points this weekend in the hopes to gain an advantage on their competitors. Pierre Gasly in particular, will be fighting to climb the ranks after his DNF last race, and Esteban Ocon will need to show his talent in the hopes of securing a contract next season.


Williams

Although Williams has been continuously at the back of the grid throughout the season Alex Albon’s promising points finishing in Silverstone shows that the team is attempting to make there way back up the grid, fighting for the championship in coming years.

If Albon’s American teammate, Logan Sargeant, wishes to secure a contract next season he must show his skills in Hungary, ideally with his first points finish of the season.


Stake Kick Sauber

With the team currently at the bottom of the leaderboard with no points at all, drivers Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas need to join the fight for the points if they hope to climb the leaderboard. 


With four teams in the running for the constructors championship this season, so many talented drivers on the grid and the new upgrades to many of the cars, the Hungarian grand Prix is likely to be extremely eventful.

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