After a weekend of burning rubber in a selection of the greatest McLaren Racing cars of all time at the historic Goodwood circuit, it’s time to clamber out of the past and back into the present, where our day job awaits.

Having been put through his paces in James Hunt’s brutally aggressive M26-02, Oscar should have gained a new-found appreciation for the comfort of driving the MCL60, although it won’t be exactly as he left it following the installation of a new front wing.

Lando and Oscar have both been to the MTC since the most recent round of the season at Silverstone, spending time with the engineers in the simulator and catching up with our MTC-based team. We managed to grab them during a coffee break where we discussed the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix.

We’ve compiled their thoughts below along with a circuit guide, our tips on how to spend your time in Budapest and some interesting stats and facts. We’ll also explain Formula 1’s new Alternative Tyre Allocation trial.

Critical info

Round	12
Where	Hungaroring
When	21 - 23 July
Lights out	15:00 local
Follow	The website and the McLaren App for LIVE commentary and team radio

"Hungary up next, the start of the last double-header before the summer break. Getting on the podium in Silverstone felt really good. It's great to be in that position, but we'll keep working hard for the rest of the season as we keep improving our performance.

"Last week I was back at the MTC with my engineers working in preparation for Hungary. I look forward to getting back in the car and seeing what we can do. The Hungaroring is a challenging but fun track and Budapest is a great city, I’m really looking forward to getting back on track."

"I'm really happy with our performance at the British GP. The upgrade felt good, and we got a lot of data to work on for the next race. Last week I was back in the sim at the MTC preparing, taking our learnings to make sure we keep improving.

"I'm looking forward to returning to the Hungaroring. It can be a tricky circuit in certain places, but we enjoy the challenge. I'm excited to get into this double-header, and hopefully go well in Budapest."

Monaco without walls

With short straights and slow corners, the Hungaroring is a very different test to the Red Bull Ring or Silverstone. It doesn’t have walls like Monaco does, but its narrow winding turns give off a very similar feel – not much of a surprise given it was designed to mimic the Monte Carlo circuit.

It means that straight-line speed isn’t quite as crucial as it was in either of our last two rounds, with greater significance placed on having high downforce and good levels of grip, whilst the track’s technical nature means a driver can make a real difference by braking late and making the most of the available tarmac.

As you would expect from such a slender circuit, mistakes are punished, and that tends to be where overtaking opportunities arise. Turns 10 - 12 can be taken at pace if you work on the limit, but it is easy to slip up ahead of two slower corners and the circuit’s longest straight, which provide the chance to make a move.

Outside of that, the track doesn’t allow for a whole lot of passing, with little room to get alongside your opponent, and that makes qualifying key. The team will use practice to make a call on whether to prioritise race pace or one-lap pace and then work on a strategy to execute this.

How will the Alternative Tyre Allocation will work?

In a bid to improve sustainability, teams will trial a new format in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, which will see our weekend’s tyre allocation cut from 13 to 11, with three mandatory tyres provided for qualifying.

Hard tyres will be used in Q1, Mediums in Q2 and Softs in Q3. Unless it is a wet session, in which case teams will have a free choice of tyre. If successful and implement across all 23 races, this change could see a total saving of 3,680 tyres across the grid.

Last time out

It may have been nearly two weeks, but we can’t imagine anyone’s forgotten what happened at the British Grand Prix…. However, who are we to turn down the chance to talk about it again?

With upgrades installed on both their cars, Lando and Oscar enjoyed their strongest qualifying session of the season on Saturday, finishing second and third. They carried this form over into Sunday, as Lando took the lead off Max Verstappen when the lights went out and Oscar maintained third.

Although Verstappen regained P1, we looked set to secure a double-podium at Silverstone, only for a poorly timed Safety Car to spoil the day, arriving shortly after Oscar had pitted, which handed Lewis Hamilton a free stop and promoted him to third ahead of the Aussie rookie.

Despite being on Hard tyres, with those around them all on Softs, Oscar and Lando managed to defend their positions when action restarted, finishing the race in fourth and second. It was Lando’s first British Grand Prix podium and the team’s first in 13-years.

Setting the scene

Budapest is among Europe’s most beautiful and historic cities, and the Hungaroring is located just 30 minutes away from the capital, making it a popular choice for a city-break among race fans.

Whilst there, explore the city’s many historical highlights, including the Buda Castle, St. Stephen’s Basilica and traditional markets, and try its incredible food. You’ll struggle to find goulash better than in Budapest. Their creamy chicken paprikash and meat-filled pancakes are well worth sampling as well.

As with many of the European countries we visit, café culture is very much a part of everyday life in Hungary. We’d suggest finding one on the Danube River, picking up a coffee and taking on a Rubik’s cube, which was invented in Hungary in 1974 by Ernõ Rubik.

"Following a successful British Grand Prix, we now turn our attention to Hungary, where we'll aim to keep up the momentum and continue on our journey of extracting performance from the MCL60.

"The circuit in Budapest is a very different track with low-speed corners. It will present a new challenge to the now-upgraded MCL60. We remain with both feet on the ground but hopeful for another competitive weekend."

Set your alarms

Free Practice 1	07:30 ET / 12:30 BST / 21:30 AET
Free Practice 2	11:00 ET / 16:00 BST / 01:00 AET
Free Practice 3	06:30 ET / 11:30 BST / 20:30 AET
Qualifying	10:00 ET / 15:00 BST / 00:00 AET
Race	09:00 ET / 14:00 BST / 11:00 AET

Stat pack

• Our 30-point haul at the British Grand Prix promoted us to fifth in the Constructors’ Championship

• The Hungaroring has hosted a grand prix every year since 1986

• Oscar won at the Hungaroring in Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019. He scored two podiums there in as many races in Formula 3 in 2022

• We are the most successful constructor in the history of the Hungarian Grand Prix with 11 victories

• Lewis Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix three times for McLaren

• Hamilton’s 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix victory was the first hybrid engine victory in F1

• Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, Kimi Räikkönen, Heikki Kovalainen, and Jenson Button have all won the Hungarian Grand Prix for McLaren

The Fit: 60 years of style

We might be 60 years old, but we still got style.

The Hungaroring is among Formula 1’s most historic circuits and the perfect place to show off our new P60 collection, which celebrates our own storied past… We’ve had many looks over the past 60 years, but rarely as timeless as this one. There have been 38 Hungarian Grand Prix – of which we’ve won 11 – and this timeless collection would have looked stylish in any one of them. It's a sleek, black look with a typical papaya twist that would look good in any era and at any occasion: sporting, smart of casual.

Get your hands on the look here.

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