PREVIEW: The title race heads to Budapest for Round 7

Budapest is the venue for Round 7 of the 2026 FIA Formula 3 season, the final race weekend before the summer break.

As things stand, just one point separates Ugo Ugochukwu and Freddie Slater in the Drivers’ Championship, as the two prepare to go head-to-head at the Hungaroring.

But they will also expect competition from their other 28 rivals, and as we get set to hit the track, here is everything you need to know about our trip to Hungary.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The weekend’s action kicks off on Friday morning with a 45-minute Free Practice session at 09:55 local time.

Later in the day, the drivers will be back out on track for Qualifying at 15:00 local time.

That 30-minute Pole Position shootout sets the grid for both races, the first of which is a Sprint on Saturday morning. Lights out is at 10:05 local time.

The drivers get one more chance to claim victory at the Hungaroring on Sunday morning in the Feature Race at 08:40 local time.

STAT PACK

• Hitech driver Jin Nakamura’s victory in the Spa-Francorchamps Sprint Race means that eight out of the 10 teams have won at least once this season.
• Campos Racing are the only team to have won more than one race this season – having achieved five victories.
• No driver on the current grid has won an F3 race in Budapest – although Ugo Ugochukwu and Tuukka Taponen have finished on the podium.
• Pole Position has been converted into Feature Race victory in three of Formula 3’s last four visits to Budapest.

FROM THE GRID – Tuukka Taponen, MP Motorsport

“I think it's one of the most difficult tracks on the calendar because it has many corners and it's also pretty hot when we are there. So, when you have that many corners and it's hot, it's very tough to complete a good lap.

“Turn 1 and Turn 2 are where you have the main chances to overtake, but you don't have many opportunities because it's quite difficult to follow.

“The heat makes it quite difficult to handle the tyres because you need to keep them quite cool but you cannot because it's so hot and you have many corners.”

TECHNICAL PREVIEW

Pierre-Alain Michot, FIA Formula 3 Technical Director

“Downforce is one of the big keys to the Hungaroring as it is a circuit that is made up primarily of corners, meaning it is often compared to a karting track.

“This also means that the drivers will be eager to find space during Qualifying with clean air incredibly important. This will also be the case in the races where degradation will be quite high. So the drivers that manage their tyres the best will be the ones that have success, and the ones that push too much early on could have trouble towards the end.”

PIRELLI PREVIEW

The Medium compound has been selected for the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. On the short and twisty Budapest circuit, temperatures will once again be the key factor influencing tyre behaviour. If they are not particularly high, the tyres could suffer from graining and drivers would therefore be forced to manage them carefully in order to maintain a good pace until the end of the race. Traditionally, however, the Hungarian round is one of the hottest of the season. In this scenario, thermal degradation could represent the main factor affecting performance. At the Hungaroring, the most stressed axle is the rear due to the numerous traction phases. Greater attention will therefore be focused on the rear tyres which, if not subjected to excessive stress, could provide some drivers with a strategic advantage over their rivals.