Hungarian Grand Prix

A major coup by Bernie Ecclestone, the Hungarian Grand Prix was the first Grand Prix to take place behind the Iron Curtain. Taking place at the twisty Hungaroring near Budapest, the race has been a mainstay of the calendar since 1986. Run in the heat of a central European summer, it also holds the distinction of being the only current Grand Prix venue that has never seen a wet race. The first Grand Prix saw 200,000 people spectating, although tickets cost several time the average Hungarian's wage at the time. Today, the support is still very enthusiastic, particularly from Finns, who travel down in the absence of a Scandinavian Grand Prix.

Due to the nature of the track, narrow, twisty and often dusty from under-use, the Hungarian Grand Prix is associated with processional races, with crocodiles of sometimes six cars following one another, unable to pass. Thierry Boutsen demonstrated this perfectly in 1990, keeping his slower Williams car in front of champion-elect Ayrton Senna, unable to find a way by. The secret to a winning performance at Hungaroring is pit strategy, best demonstrated best in the 1998 GP, where Michael Schumacher's Ferrari team changed his strategy mid-race before Schumacher put in one of his finest drives to build up a winning margin after all the stops had been made. Passing is a rarity here, although the 1989 race saw a famously bullish performance from Nigel Mansell in the Ferrari, who started from 12th on the grid and passed car after car, finally taking the lead in splendid opportunist style when Ayrton Senna was baulked by a slower runner. The 2003 race also more overtaking, this time due to circuit modifications.

Other notable occasions in Budapest include first Grand Prix wins for Damon Hill(1993)and Fernando Alonso, the first Spaniard Grand Prix winner, who also became the youngest ever driver to win a GP(2003. Also noteworthy is Damon Hill's stunning near win in the unfancied Arrows-Yamaha (1997), when his car lost drive on the last lap causing him to coast in in second place. In 2001, Michael Schumacher equalled Alain Prost's then record 51 Grand Prix wins at the Hungaroring, in the drive which also secured his 4th World Title.

Hungarian Grand Prix Winners:

1986: Nelson Piquet (Brazil) Williams-Honda 1987: Nelson Piquet (Brazil) Williams-Honda 1988: Ayrton Senna (Brazil) McLaren-Honda 1989: Nigel Mansell (Britain) Ferrari 1990: Thierry Boutsen (Belgium) Williams-Renault 1991: Ayrton Senna (Brazil) McLaren-Honda 1992: Ayrton Senna (Brazil) McLaren-Honda 1993: Damon Hill (Britain) Williams-Renault 1994: Michael Schumacher (Germany) Benetton-Ford 1995: Damon Hill (Britain) Williams-Renault 1996: Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) Williams-Renault 1997: Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) Williams-Renault 1998: Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 1999: Mika Hakkinen (Finland) McLaren-Mercedes 2000: Mika Hakkinen (Finland) McLaren-Mercedes 2001: Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 2002: Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 2003: Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault