2024 Hungarian Grand Prix preview: timings, how to watch, and more

Hot topics ahead of the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix

Following on from his record-breaking ninth win at Silverstone, Hamilton is sure to arrive in Hungary with renewed confidence. He’s enjoyed plenty of success at the Hungaroring in the past, it’s a circuit he’s won at eight times, most recently in 2020. Mercedes has shown it is back in the running to win races, having taken two poles, four podiums, and two wins across the last four outings and is expected to bring further upgrades this weekend. So, right now all seems positive for the Silver Arrows, although the team will need to manage the dynamic between the departing Hamilton and teammate Russell as battles for race wins heat up.

Over at McLaren, Lando Norris’ frustrations were clearly visible after poor decisions taken by himself and his team appeared to cost him yet another grand prix victory. Norris personally making the call to pit for soft tyres in the closing stages of Silverstone when he had the option of mediums ultimately left him helpless to Max Verstappen’s late charge. He ended up finishing third. As for his teammate Oscar Piastri, an early pit stop cost him time and the chance to fight for the race win.

McLaren has been at the sharp end of the grid all season long, but has so far struggled to convert its good pace into results. Hungary represents a good opportunity for the Woking team to have a clean, confident weekend. After all, McLaren is only seven points behind second-place Ferrari in the constructors’ championship, progress partly attributable to the latter’s sliding form. Since Charles Leclerc’s home win in Monaco four races ago, Ferrari has only stood on the podium once, courtesy of Carlos Sainz Jr.’s third in Austria. For a despondent Leclerc and the whole team, Hungary and the following race in Belgium are two very different circuits which represent a chance to renew their form. If they do, we may well be treated to four teams battling for the race win.

Wind tunnels have been a topic of discussion for Red Bull this week, who may now be feeling the effects of having less time to test its car than its rivals. As we’ve seen, Mercedes and McLaren have been able to unlock more of their cars, hence the more entertaining grands prix this season, and although Verstappen has still won half of the races this season, it’s nowhere near the scale of dominance we saw in 2023. His 84-point lead in the drivers’ championship is far from conclusive, and Red Bull has been applying pressure on Sergio Pérez to keep the team ahead in the constructors’ championship. Verstappen has done the heavy lifting so far, and with Ferrari only 71 points behind, there is plenty of work still to be done. While Pérez may be safe on paper, his seat for 2025 still looks vulnerable. Red Bull desperately needs the Mexican to start performing.

When can I watch the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix?

Action at the Hungaroring begins on Friday, with Free Practice 1 at 12:30 UK time (13:30 local time), followed by Free Practice 2 at 16:00 (17:00). Saturday starts off with Free Practice 3 at 11:30 (12:30) ahead of qualifying for the grand prix at 15:00 (16:00). Lights out for the Hungarian Grand Prix is at 14:00 (15:00) on Sunday 21^st July.

How to watch the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix

Sky Sports retains exclusive rights to all live coverage of F1 in the UK. Every session of the Hungarian Grand Prix will be shown live and uninterrupted on Sky Sports F1.

US viewers can catch all the action on ESPN, and Australian audiences can watch on Kayo Sports. The F1 TV Pro app will also provide coverage of every F1 session across the weekend to several countries the world over.

Which series are supporting in Hungary?

Both Formula 2 and Formula 3 will be competing in Hungary this weekend. At Silverstone, it was Andrea Kimi Antonelli who claimed the sprint race win, while Isack Hadjar won the feature race to overtake Paul Aron at the top of the standings.  In F3, Arvid Lindblad swept the weekend, winning both the sprint and feature races. He remains second in the championship, reducing the gap to leader Gabriele Miní by six points.

F1 Academy meanwhile, will be back in action in Zandvoort at the end of August.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.