Race Start
Sunday, July 26 at 9:00 AM EDT
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Free .ics download — sessions appear in your local time in Google, Apple & Outlook calendars.
Round 11 of 22 · Hungaroring · July 24–26, 2026
Free .ics download — sessions appear in your local time in Google, Apple & Outlook calendars.
| Session | Eastern | Central | Mountain | Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Fri, Jul 24, 7:30 AM EDT | Fri, Jul 24, 6:30 AM CDT | Fri, Jul 24, 5:30 AM MDT | Fri, Jul 24, 4:30 AM PDT |
| Practice 2 | Fri, Jul 24, 11:00 AM EDT | Fri, Jul 24, 10:00 AM CDT | Fri, Jul 24, 9:00 AM MDT | Fri, Jul 24, 8:00 AM PDT |
| Practice 3 | Sat, Jul 25, 6:30 AM EDT | Sat, Jul 25, 5:30 AM CDT | Sat, Jul 25, 4:30 AM MDT | Sat, Jul 25, 3:30 AM PDT |
| Qualifying | Sat, Jul 25, 10:00 AM EDT | Sat, Jul 25, 9:00 AM CDT | Sat, Jul 25, 8:00 AM MDT | Sat, Jul 25, 7:00 AM PDT |
| Race | Sun, Jul 26, 9:00 AM EDT | Sun, Jul 26, 8:00 AM CDT | Sun, Jul 26, 7:00 AM MDT | Sun, Jul 26, 6:00 AM PDT |
The Hungaroring is often called "Monaco without the walls" — a tight, twisting ribbon outside Budapest where corners arrive relentlessly and overtaking takes either bravery or strategy. It traditionally closes the first half of the season before the summer break, and July heat makes tire management decisive. Despite its reputation, Hungary has a habit of producing shock results: first-time winners and strategy masterstrokes thrive here.
The Hungaroring sits in a natural bowl outside Budapest, which gives spectators a rare treat — most of the lap is visible from a single hillside — and gives drivers no rest at all. Fourteen corners arrive in relentless succession with only one real straight, coating the cars in the dust that blows across the little-used circuit and making the track evolve constantly through the weekend.
July heat is the defining variable: track temperatures regularly exceed 50°C, turning the race into a tire-preservation exercise and making the pit-stop windows the primary battlefield. The undercut is more powerful here than almost anywhere, so watch the timing screens around the stops — races at the Hungaroring are won and lost in the two laps either side of them. Qualifying carries near-Monaco weight, since following another car closely through the endless corner sequence overheats tires within laps.
The 1986 Hungarian Grand Prix was the first World Championship race held behind the Iron Curtain, drawing an estimated 200,000 spectators, and Hungary has kept its calendar slot ever since. For a track where overtaking is famously hard, it has a strange gift for firsts and upsets: Damon Hill nearly won in an Arrows in 1997, Jenson Button took his maiden win in the wet chaos of 2006, and Esteban Ocon scored his first victory here in 2021.
Sunday morning viewing in the US, and the last race before F1's month-long summer shutdown — after this, nothing until late August, so enjoy it. Track position is king at the Hungaroring; watch the pit windows around laps 20-30, because the undercut is the main overtaking tool here.
Sunday morning US viewing once more — and note this is the final race before F1's mandatory summer shutdown, with nothing on track until the Dutch Grand Prix in late August. If the championship gap is tight going in, teams throw development everything at this weekend; if it's not, watch the midfield, where the Hungaroring's equalizing layout regularly lets a slower car hold off a faster one for 70 laps.
The race starts Sunday, July 26 at 9:00 AM EDT. That's 8:00 AM CDT Central, 7:00 AM MDT Mountain, and 6:00 AM PDT Pacific.
No, it uses the standard format: three practice sessions, qualifying (Saturday, July 25 at 10:00 AM EDT), and the Grand Prix.
70 laps of the 4.381 km Hungaroring, a race distance of about 307 km.
Like Monaco, the Hungaroring is slow, narrow, and nearly impossible to overtake on — track position and strategy decide the race. The difference is generous runoff instead of barriers, so mistakes cost time rather than ending races.
New to Formula 1 or planning your viewing weekend? Read our guides to watching F1 in the US, how a race weekend works, and why F1 start times vary.