A few interesting Hungarian Grand Prix facts MyZA

Floor it: Sebastian Vettel flies around the Hungaroring circuit Photo: Reuters

Did you know that, at 4.381 kilometres long, Budapest’s Hungaroring circuit is the third shortest track on the calendar after Monaco and Canada?

As Hungary prepares to host the Formula One, here is a myriad of other interesting facts and figures about the race.

• The Hungaroring, just outside Budapest, has hosted all of the 27 Formula One Grands Prix previously held on Hungarian soil.

• As a circuit, the Hungaroring has changed little since the first Hungarian Grand Prix in 1986, though there was a right-left chicane between Turns 3 and 4 for the first three races.

• Only one Hungarian has ever started his home Grand Prix, or indeed any other F1 Grand Prix – Zsolt Baumgartner, who drove for Jordan and Minardi in 2003/2004.

• Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most Hungarian Grand Prix wins – four. Lewis Hamilton has won the race the most times of any current driver – three, a distinction he shares with the late, great Ayrton Senna.

• Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso (once), Kimi Raikkonen (once) and Mark Webber (once) are the only current drivers other than Hamilton to have won in Hungary. Button and Alonso both scored their maiden F1 wins in Hungary (in 2006 and 2003 respectively).

• Hungary is one of only two races on the calendar that Sebastian Vettel has not won (the other being the USA).

• Lewis Hamilton’s 2009 victory for McLaren was a historic one – it was the first win for an F1 car equipped with KERS.

• Prepare the celebratory cake – the Hungarian Grand Prix will be Adrian Sutil’s 100th F1 start. The German made his debut for Spyker at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix.

• In the last 10 races in Hungary, the safety car has only been deployed twice. – Formula 1