IT'S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix

Six races in eight weeks will conclude with a visit to the Hungaroring, for what will also be the final round before the August shutdown. With a short break ahead and a championship battle that continues to see significant swings in fortunes, there are plenty of talking points heading to Budapest.

Russell’s chance to bounce back quickly

Only two races ago we were going into a weekend speaking about the chance for George Russell to build up a bit of momentum after his victory in Austria, and his luck appeared to improve as he ended up second at Silverstone while Kimi Antonelli was relegated from a potential win to finish outside of the points late on.

Belgium was less kind to Russell, however, as he was struggling with an as-yet-undiagnosed straight-line speed deficit that Mercedes say was costing him a couple of tenths per lap, and then a lack of deployment at the start of the race also put him under pressure.

Russell had made a good start but was overtaken by three cars on the run to Les Combes, and attempted to regain two of them by going around the outside of the right-hander. With Lewis Hamilton then tapping him into a spin and out of the race, Russell saw his hopes of scoring points disappear.

The Mercedes driver described himself as “numb” to the disappointment given how many times he feels fortune has gone against him so far this season, so perhaps it’s not something he feels he needs to recover from. Either way, he has a chance to respond quickly, on a very different type of track that should mitigate at least some of whatever this straight-line deficit is.

Ferrari with a chance of another win

By their own predictions, the past two track layouts were not expected to suit Ferrari as they were envisaging a power unit deficit that would make it tough to beat Mercedes. In the end, there was some truth to that – with Antonelli fastest across both races but suffering a reliability issue at Silverstone – yet Ferrari were very competitive at the front.

A win and a second place for Charles Leclerc was a welcome return for Ferrari in Great Britain and Belgium respectively, with Lewis Hamilton backing that up with a third and fourth place.

Team Principal Fred Vasseur believes incremental gains with the chassis played a part, as well as the power unit upgrade that was introduced in Austria, but the indications are that Ferrari still believe they are more likely to be competitive at less power-sensitive tracks.

The Hungaroring is one such venue, with a lack of long straights, and lots of corners that give it a relatively low average speed. Given how close to winning back-to-back races Leclerc was in Belgium, this weekend could represent an even better chance for Ferrari to stand on the top step again.

Aston Martin’s upgrade

We haven’t been able to feature Aston Martin all that often in these previews, after Adrian Newey’s team confirmed they would not be introducing regular updates to their car in the first part of the season. Instead, as they look to address unexpected deficits with their 2026 design, what is effectively a B-spec has been developed.

The significant upgrade is due to hit the track for the first time this weekend in Budapest, offering the first signs at how much progress Aston Martin have been making behind the scenes.

It’s not the full step that will be introduced, as an upgraded Honda power unit is also in the works but won’t be ready until after the summer break, but Aston Martin will be hoping it brings the team into the mix with the rest of the midfield. Regardless of the actual position they find themselves in, a display of clear steps forward will be more important to show the team they are on the right track.

Other team developments

A lot of focus will be on the Aston Martin upgrade, but they are not the only team that could be introducing new parts this weekend, McLaren had a new rear wing in Belgium that they said was the first part of a wider package that is in the pipeline, and there are due to be further updates brought to the Hungaroring.

Racing Bulls also have the second new chassis available for this weekend, after Arvid Lindblad earned the opportunity to run the update first and duly turned that into two points with a ninth-place finish at Spa-Francorchamps. Liam Lawson had to wait an extra week having been beaten by his team mate in Qualifying in Silverstone – the session used to decide who would benefit from the upgrade first – but will be back on par with Lindblad in terms of machinery.

At a track that will place an emphasis on aerodynamic performance, will we see another change in the pecking order thanks to the current development rate across the grid?

Last chance before a break

The 2026 season felt like it took a little while to build-up the usual momentum after the postponed races in April meant we had only had five races heading into June, but we are well and truly into the swing of things now.

Since starting the European leg in Monaco, six races in eight weeks bring us to the current halfway stage of the championship in Budapest, as it aligns with the mandatory summer shutdown. All teams have to stop work on their cars for two weeks in August – a spell they have some flexibility to choose themselves between races – before we resume racing again at Zandvoort on August 23.

That means there will be three consecutive weekends without a race following the visit to the Hungaroring, and drivers will be keen to enter that break on a high note.

Each Grand Prix might pay the same amount of points as any other, but being able to deliver a strong result this weekend will provide a positive outlook through the time off. And that could be particularly helpful to any drivers facing an uncertain future beyond 2026.