Hungarian Grand Prix 2018 — Weekend Preview

Round 12 of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship takes the field to Budapest, Hungary. Hungarian Grand Prix — The Monaco Without Walls. Lewis Hamilton leads the championship with 188 points, 17 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

Driver Championship (entering R12):
P1: Lewis Hamilton — 188 pts (4W, 8P)
P2: Sebastian Vettel — 171 pts (4W, 6P)
P3: Kimi Räikkönen — 131 pts (0W, 7P)
P4: Valtteri Bottas — 122 pts (0W, 5P)
P5: Daniel Ricciardo — 106 pts (2W, 2P)

Constructor Championship:
P1: Mercedes — 310 pts
P2: Ferrari — 302 pts
P3: Red Bull Racing — 211 pts
P4: Renault — 80 pts
P5: Haas F1 Team — 59 pts

Budapest is one of the fastest circuits on the calendar, technically demanding, steeped in motorsport history.

Recent winners at Budapest:
- 2025: Lando Norris (McLaren)
- 2024: Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- 2023: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2022: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2020: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Tyre strategy data will be available after practice sessions provide degradation information.

Battles to watch:

Championship battle: Lewis Hamilton vs Sebastian Vettel — 17 points separate them.

P3 vs P4: Kimi Räikkönen (131) vs Valtteri Bottas (122) — just 9 points apart.
P5 vs P6: Daniel Ricciardo (106) vs Max Verstappen (105) — just 1 points apart.

Understand this race better:

- [Aero Balance](/f1/learning/tactical-intelligence/aero-balance)
- [Downforce](/f1/learning/tactical-intelligence/downforce)