For French driver Esteban Ocon of the Haas F1 Team, who claimed victory at the Hungaroring in 2021, maximizing qualifying performance will be essential for success at the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix.
In the last two Grands Prix—the British and Belgian rounds—Haas failed to score any points with both of its drivers, except during the Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps. While Silverstone saw a collision between the two Haas drivers that ruined a potential top-10 finish, the Belgian weekend was marked by a strategic misstep that led to critical comments from Esteban Ocon.
Emotions and Goals
Now, both the American team and its drivers are turning their full attention to the next event at the Hungaroring, home of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Historically, the venue has often brought disappointing results for the Banbury-based team. However, it holds special memories for Esteban Ocon. In 2021, the Frenchman secured his first and only Formula 1 victory behind the wheel of an Alpine car. He hopes that the strong pace shown at Spa can help Haas climb higher in the standings before the summer break: “For me, returning to Budapest every year is always a special moment,” Ocon explained. “It’s where I achieved my first Formula 1 Grand Prix win, and coming back to that city and that track always brings back a lot of great memories. For us as a team, it will be important to keep following the momentum we showed at Spa, where we demonstrated good pace, especially in the Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint Race. The Hungaroring has always been one of my favorite circuits on the calendar. Overtaking can be difficult, so maximizing our qualifying performance is fundamental. We will prepare as best as possible to achieve a strong result on Saturday and Sunday and head into the summer break with the right momentum.”
These positive memories are shared by young driver Oliver Bearman, who, in addition to earning two podiums in Formula 3 and Formula 2, also took part in the 2024 Formula 1 Free Practice 1 session at this circuit: “I’m really excited to return to Budapest. Last year I participated in Free Practice 1, and it’s a fantastic track that feels a lot like a street circuit due to its number of corners and its short layout. It’s always a highlight for us drivers. It will definitely be a hot race, and I’m looking forward to experiencing it after Spa. I hope we can finish the first half of the season on a high note.”
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