Race preview: Hungarian Grand Prix

Find out all the key information ahead of Alex’s visit to Mogyoród

Published

30 JUL 2025

Est. reading time

3 min

Alex has hit form ahead of the Hungarian GP — and he’ll be looking to continue his hot streak on the outskirts of Budapest this weekend.

Our Thai racer is on the hunt for his third consecutive points haul in Mogyoród, having placed eighth at Silverstone and sixth in Spa last Sunday.

Impressively, they were his eighth and ninth top-ten finishes of the season, from just 13 Grands Prix in 2025.

And those results have taken Albono’s total to 54 points for the campaign, placing him eighth in the Drivers’ Standings going into Round 14 at the Hungaroring.

Previous stints in Hungary

Alex enjoyed success in Mogyoród during the early stages of his F1 career — placing P10 in his final Grand Prix with Toro Rosso back in 2019, before switching to Red Bull Racing ahead of the following round.

His first visit to the Hungaroring with Red Bull was a fruitful one, too, as he finished P5 there in the third race of 2020.

But AA23 is yet to break into the top 10 with Atlassian Williams Racing at this weekend’s venue, despite coming remarkably close with a P11 in 2023.

He climbed from a starting position of P16 on that occasion, so could take some comfort from a commendable drive — even if points remained elusive.

“P11 is quite a surprising result,” Alex said, following the race. “It was quite a defensive race which we like to do.

“We got track position and we were okay; we came into this circuit knowing it wouldn’t suit us and we qualified where the pace of the car was.

“Clean air is so important around here; even though I pitted early, once I had clean air, I had a lot of laps to bed the tyre in slowly so once I came out and undercut the other cars, I had some grip left and could manage them behind me.”

Track guide

Set in the rolling hills of Pest County, the Hungaroring is among Formula 1’s most exhilarating venues.

Often compared to a full-size karting track, it is notoriously demanding with a typically grippy surface and warm conditions to contend with — though there’s also a chance of rain on Saturday, based on the current weather forecast.

And Saturday could be important, with Qualifying taking on extra significance at a circuit with few overtaking opportunities, despite featuring 14 turns across 4.381 km (2.722 miles).

The best chance to pass other cars is likely to come in Sector 1, before Sector 2’s single-file turns and a slow-speed chicane. A lap then concludes with Sector 3 trio of corners and charge down the pit straight.

Stay in the loop

There’s no better place to follow all the action than our live blog on AA23’s website and app.

We’ll be covering the entire race weekend in Mogyoród, from Free Practice 1 through to Sunday’s Grand Prix.

FP1 gets under way at 1.30pm CEST on Friday, followed by Free Practice 2 later that day at 5pm.

Then it’s time for FP3 (12.30pm) and the all-important Qualifying (4pm) on Saturday, before the race itself commences at 3pm CEST on Sunday.

Get your Hungarian GP Albono

Alex’s Fan Passport stamps have been coming thick and fast of late, with ‘Albonos’ for Silverstone and Spa — and points stamps following each of his latest successes.

But there’s no slowing down on that front, with our Hungarian GP stamp already available to download!

This week’s Albono is kitted out in a Grand Budapest Hotel-inspired outfit, so make sure to claim it via the link below, before AA23 finishes racing in Mogyoród!

The Hungary Albono is ready to collect!