Your guide to… Budapest

Round 4 of the 2021 FIA Formula 3 Championship gets under way this weekend at the Hungaroring, Budapest.

WHEN TO WATCH All times local (GMT +2)

Friday Free Practice: 10:05 Qualifying: 13:50 – 14:20 Press conference: 16:05 Saturday Race 1: 10:35 (22 laps) Press conference: 11:40 Race 2: 17:55 (22 laps) Press conference: 19:00 Sunday Race 3: 10:45 (22 laps) Press conference: 11:50

THE STORY SO FAR

An incredible opening to the 2021 FIA Formula 3 Championship has seen seven drivers crowned victors in just three rounds of racing. As the grid gear up for Round 4 at the Hungaroring and the midway point in the season approaches, Championship leader Dennis Hauger will no doubt be looking to extend his 41-point lead. Meanwhile, his competitors will be eager to mount a firm title challenge before the mid-season break gets underway.

It was an incredible weekend of racing from Hauger last time out in Austria, with the Norwegian driver laying the foundations for his eventual 49-point weekend in Friday’s Qualifying session. The Red Bull junior claimed pole on his final run, beating out ART Grand Prix’s Frederik Vesti by just 0.035 seconds.

Sprint Race 1 saw the young Norwegian claim a remarkable win from 12th on the grid, the PREMA driver finding himself in the perfect position to make the most of a late collision between race-leaders Matteo Nannini and Clément Novalak. The Red Bull junior crossed the line ahead of teammate Olli Caldwell and Charouz Racing System’s Logan Sargeant, who was later given a time penalty which promoted Jack Doohan to third.

It was Trident’s David Schumacher who took the victory in Race 2, controlling the pack from lights-to-flag to collect his first points in Formula 3 in resounding style. The German finished ahead of Mercedes junior Vesti who came home in second, and Race 1 winner Hauger who once again made it from 12th on the grid to the podium, finishing third.

Sunday’s Race 3 brought with it another showdown between Vesti and Hauger, with the former winning out to clinch his first victory of the season. PREMA Racing’s Hauger took his third podium of the weekend, this time finishing in second, while the Red Bull junior’s teammate Caldwell stood on the final step for a second time.

THE CHALLENGERS

After two rounds Dennis Hauger (115 points) has increased his lead in the Drivers’ Championship with a 41-point lead to Frederik Vesti (74). Jack Doohan (72) remains in third, two points ahead of Olli Caldwell (70) who moves up one position after two podium finishes in Spielberg. Victor Martins (66) rounds out the top five.

PREMA Racing (207 points) continue to lead the pack in the Teams’ Championship after five podiums for the team at the Red Bull Ring. Second-placed Trident (136) are now 71 points back and narrowly lead ART Grand Prix (135) by just a single point. MP Motorsport (107) are in fourth meanwhile Hitech Grand Prix (38 points) trail in 5th.

FROM THE GRID – ROMAN STANEK (HITECH GRAND PRIX)

“The Hungaroring is a track that I raced at during Italian F4 Championship once, and I was quite fast there. Last year in Formula 3 we had some tricky conditions, so it wasn't a great weekend for me. But I know the track, and it's quite fast with a slow last sector, so it's good to be back there and it will be fun to drive.

“Tyre management in Budapest is very important, especially because it's going to be hot, so it's all about managing your tyres and being quick for the whole race. I think the most overtaking will for sure happen into Turn 1. Then also into Turn 2, I think we'll see a lot of overtaking on the outside there as you have a lot of space, and you can throw a lot of speed into the corner. It will be interesting.

“I like the new weekend format so far. I've not got in the reverse grid yet, but I like it, and we're aiming to be around P12 to start in the front and then to stay there to get as many points as possible. The goal in Hungary is to be there in the top ten and to collect points, that's my expectations for this round.”

TYRE TALK – MARIO ISOLA (PIRELLI’S HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING)

The P Zero Yellow medium tyre has been selected for Formula 3 this weekend, which offers a well-balanced compromise that’s suitable for the succession of tight corners and relatively low average speeds that characterise the Hungaroring, where high temperatures are often the case too. There’s only one real straight, at the start-finish, which means that the tyres are working constantly. As a result, some degree of tyre management may be needed to extract the optimal performance from the compound all the way to the end of each race.

STAT PACK

• The Formula 3 race lap record at the Hungaroring is 1:31.761 set by Christian Lundgaard with ART Grand Prix in 2019.
• At just 4.381 KM long the Hungaroring is one the shortest circuits on the Formula 3 calendar in 2021.
• Just one member of the current grid has previously stood on the podium at the Hungaroring: PREMA Racing’s Dennis Hauger picked up his first top three finish in Formula 3 at the track last season.
• Seven drivers on the current grid now have Formula 3 race wins to their name (Hauger, Leclerc, Caldwell, Doohan, Vesti, Smolyar and Schumacher).
• Dennis Hauger has six podium finishes to his name from just nine races this season, the most of any driver on the grid.
• Dennis Hauger, Frederik Vesti and Olli Caldwell, who sit in 1st, 2nd and 4th in the Championship standings, have all scored points in eight of nine races so far this season.
• After three rounds, 12 drivers from six different teams have stood on the podium.
• Dennis Hauger and Frederik Vesti both now have seven career podiums, just three shy of the all-time record, currently held by Robert Shwartzman.