We're at the halfway point of the season as Formula 1 lands in Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The race is set at the Hungaroring, a historically twisty and challenging track.
Now a staple on the F1 calendar, the championship has been coming here since 1986, a race which Nelson Piquet famously won against Ayrton Senna.
Other memorable moments include Jenson Button's first win in a brilliant 2006 race, Lewis Hamilton restarting the race alone in 2021 and Fernando Alonso's maiden win in 2003.
Lewis Hamilton (as usual) comes into this weekend with the most wins, with a staggering eight wins since 2007. It's Mclaren, though, who have the most team victories. They'll be hoping to extend that this week in a fiercely competitive field.
The Hungaroring is known for its fast corners and high degradation, which makes it always a thrilling race to watch. The natural bowl also makes it an easy race to watch as a spectator in the stands.
Last year, it was Max Verstappen who took a brilliant victory. Let's see if he can hold off the other teams to take the win this time.
Talking points
Driver moves still going
There's never a dull day in the F1 driver market and this weekend is no different.
The most recent news includes Haas, who have stated that Kevin Magnussen will not be returning to the team next year to pair with newly-announced Ollie Bearman.
This makes way for a move from Alpine to Haas for Esteban Ocon, who has been rumoured to be finalising a deal with the American marque. He won the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021 and it's said that Ayao Komatsu is a big fan of the French driver.
In other areas of the grid, we're unsure (still) where Carlos Sainz is heading, which will have implications for the rest of the drivers. Rumours are floating that he will choose between Williams and Alpine most likely.
Sergio Perez is also in danger of losing his seat in the summer break, so he'll need a big two weekends here and in Belgium to prove his worth.
Teams are getting closer
Remember in Bahrain where people were saying that we should just gift Max Verstappen and Red Bull the championship? I don't think we're saying that any more.
it feels that after Mercedes' uptick in pace after Silverstone, we now have four teams who are able to fight for victories. This includes Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes.
Ferrari have been off from since Monaco, as Fred Vasseur blames a bad upgrade as the culprit. They've since removed this down(?)grade and are using the old spec to try and understand what went wrong.
While most think that Max has such an advantage in points that he'll seal the drivers' title, many are unsure about the constructors as Sergio Perez hasn't been the rear gunner he needs to be this year.
Even if they replace him, it'll be a couple of races before the replacement driver is up to speed and comfortable in a car built for Verstappen. If Mclaren keep biting at Red Bull's lead, it'll be close at the end of the season.
Red Bull's massive upgrade
As I just said, the front of the pack is getting closer. Red Bull hopes to change that.
Their latest upgrades in Miami are quite drastic, getting rid of the 2024-defining haunches on the engine cover. The cooling has now changed and the haunches only appear at the front and back of the cover.
This upgrade has been talked about for months, meaning Red Bull have high hopes that it will take them back to the front.
Only Max Verstappen will get these upgrades this weekend and you can find them on X/Twitter for a better view.
Podium prediction
Who knows anymore? Here's our guess.
3rd - Lewis Hamilton
He's the most successful here so he'll be well versed in many situations to take him to the front.
2nd - Max Verstappen
It's difficult to know if we should trust Red Bull's weighty claims about their upgrades, so second for Max.
1st - Oscar Piastri
It's a wild one, yes, but he's definitely due a Grand Prix win. Hungary is good for debut wins, so let's hope.
Driver to watch
It's been a difficult couple of races for Red Bull, but Max Verstappen will make full use of his new upgrades and challenge for the race win.
The Red Bull is said to be extremely fragiler with set up, which meant the previous few races have been difficult due to the unpredictability of weather and conditions.
It feels odd to say Max will have to challenge for a win, right?
Race details
The Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2024 (brilliant, simple name!) will start at 3pm local time, so 2pm in the UK on Sky Sports F1.
Check local broadcasters for coverage.
