Hungary set to be hot – but wet

2012 Hungarian Grand Prix weather forecast

26th July 2012, 10:3026th July 2012, 15:24 | Written by Keith Collantine

The F1 track action looks set to be rain-affected for the third race weekend in a row.

But unlike the previous two races the highest chance of rain at present is for race day.

First practice on Friday at the Hungaroring is forecast to see fairly typical conditions: clear skies and temperatures in the high 20s. Some rain may arrive before the second practice session, which begins at 2pm local time.

Saturday looks set to be the best day of the weekend with little cloud and temperatures reaching as high as 32C. That should be enough to push track temperatures beyond 40C.

Sunday will stay very warm but intense atmospheric changes will produce heavy downpours and possibly thunderstorms. This precipitation forecast shows rainfall arriving from the west and covering the entire country during the race.

With the forecast very unsettled you can keep an eye on the developing weather conditions using the radar links below. And of course there will be regular updates on the track conditions on F1 Fanatic Live and the F1 Fanatic Twitter account.

Location of the Hungaroring

The Hungaroring is north-east of the Hungarian capital Budapest.

See the location of every race on the 2012 F1 calendar here:

2012 F1 calendar

2012 Hungarian Grand Prix

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63 comments on “Hungary set to be hot – but wet”

callum (@095cal)
26th July 2012, 10:40

It’s been a long time since I wanted a full dry weekend haha
1. Jayfreese (@)
  26th July 2012, 11:56
  
  Yep! Europe is tropical nowadays! Hope it’ll be a sunny qualy at least.
MazdaChris (@mazdachris)
26th July 2012, 10:46

Warm up the SLS, it’s gonna be a long one..
1. Girts (@girts)
  26th July 2012, 11:01
  
  @mazdachris Space Launch System?
  1. Mallesh Magdum (@malleshmagdum)
    26th July 2012, 11:25
    
    @girts Playing lot of Angry Birds Space? Its Mercedes SLS AMG, the safety car
    1. Girts (@girts)
      26th July 2012, 11:32
      
      @malleshmagdum Yeah I got it (not immediately though), just checked what else the abbreviation ‘SLS’ stands for :)
2. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
  26th July 2012, 11:01
  
  The safety car is only deployed when standing water on the track makes racing dangerous. It is not deployed because it has started raining.
  1. MazdaChris (@mazdachris)
    26th July 2012, 11:31
    
    Absolutely. Well, that and visibility issues for the drivers. But if the weather report is accurate (heavy downpours and thunderstorms) then I’d say there’s a reasonable likelihood of having a full course caution because of the weather.
  2. timi (@timi)
    26th July 2012, 12:00
    
    @prisoner-monkeys Well the forecast predicts heavy rainfall and possibly thunderstorms. So I wouldn’t be surprised if the SC was deployed for an age. As usual.
  3. DaveBanchero (@mfdb)
    26th July 2012, 14:52
    
    Its also deployed when cars crash, which is much more likely when it rains…
  4. Mallesh Magdum (@malleshmagdum)
    26th July 2012, 18:56
    
    @prisoner-monkeys @mfdb SC is deployed once it starts to rain. The last time we had a crash-fest in a wet race was Korea 2010! F1 cars are the safest in the world, safe enough to negate any risk of crashes due to aquaplaning!
Eggry (@eggry)
26th July 2012, 10:47

Sky helps Ferrari…
1. Frain stermin (@fanser)
  26th July 2012, 12:13
  
  well the last 2 races was dry…
  1. Eggry (@eggry)
    26th July 2012, 13:53
    
    It’s more or less same no matter which session is dry or wet.
barkun (@barkun)
26th July 2012, 11:14

looks like its going to be another Fernando race… or maybe its JB’s chance to ‘shine’
1. N
  26th July 2012, 11:41
  
  Button never ‘shines’ in the wet unless he does a contrary strategy.
  1. MazdaChris (@mazdachris)
    26th July 2012, 11:48
    
    That’s not true, Button is very good in the wet. However this year the McLaren has had specific issues generating and maintaining heat in its tyres in the wet. The same thing which caused Hamilton to qualify so badly at the last race. Unfortunately since the car has not changed considerably in the last week, it’s likely that they’ll not have a good time of it if the rain does come during the race. They will be hoping that a spot-on strategy makes up for some of the car’s defecit in wet conditions.
    1. alexf1man (@alexf1man)
      26th July 2012, 13:21
      
      But if it’s hot AND wet, maybe this will help them for a change? Although it depends what was learned in Malaysia…
  2. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
    26th July 2012, 11:48
    
    He did alright here last year. Perhaps “right” would be a better word than “contrary”.
    1. Frain stermin (@fanser)
      26th July 2012, 12:17
      
      Alonso and Hamilton are the strongest in the wet….Hamilton may be better he takes more risk…Alonso is more conservative but in the same time very fast, and this make him very special
      1. tmekt (@tmekt)
        26th July 2012, 12:50
        
        And we of course shouldn’t forget rain master Schumi
      2. Nick (@nick101)
        26th July 2012, 12:55
        
        Really?
        
        Tell me the last wet race Hamilton was the strongest?
      3. Frain stermin (@fanser)
        26th July 2012, 13:00
        
        Of course Schumi… he is the King..but refer more to Schumi 96-2006…but he had also make some good performance in wet into these last races..i dream to se Alo vs Ham vs Schumi in a full wet race fighting each other till the last corner… :)
      4. Andy (@turbof1)
        26th July 2012, 14:28
        
        Hamilton is fierce in wet conditions when the tyres allow it. That was very clear in both GB as Germany, where on one tyre he was massively quick, but on the other tyre the car couldn’t get the heat on. In the past we got races from him where everybody had their jaws wide open looking at him driving like the circuit wasn’t wet at all. Obviously that was back when Bridgestone supplied tires (which were tyres that lasted a full race when the circuit stayed sufficiently wet), which were way less sensitive. That’s one big shortcoming from Pirelli: I totally agree that conserving tires should be a big part of dry racing, but wet racing should be all about the driver. In the past wet racing cancelled out performance advantages from one car to another and the only thing that was left was driving skill. Today we have wet races where cars have to luck out on the sweet spot of the pirelli tyres. That’s not what you want to see as a fan. Pirelli certainly improved the show in dry racing, but on wet racing I feel they kinda made a misstep.
      5. chiliz
        26th July 2012, 14:40
        
        Lewis was very dominant in Canada and that was not that long ago..with the Mclaren upgrade they could be very competative if they set up their car properly
      6. David-A (@david-a)
        27th July 2012, 6:02
        
        I thought Alonso and Hamilton spun off in the wet in Hungary last year?
  3. JCost (@jcost)
    26th July 2012, 21:03
    
    He’s good but McLaren can’t make wet tyres work this year…
2. @HoHum (@hohum)
  26th July 2012, 23:42
  
  Schumi uber alles ????
James Blackman (@cocoonfxmedia)
26th July 2012, 11:18

I am looking forward to this race… Its going to be really good! I really hope Vettel will win this time round he was harshly treated in Germany!
1. Jake (@jleigh)
  26th July 2012, 11:33
  
  erm, no he wasn’t! He was just a spoiled brat in my opinion
  1. MazdaChris (@mazdachris)
    26th July 2012, 11:40
    
    yeah, he was punished for breaking a rule he was already warned not to break. Deserved everything he got, and hopefully will encourage some slightly better driving standards from now on.
2. chiliz
  26th July 2012, 14:43
  
  I couldn’t disagree more.. the man broke the rules and was punished as he should be.. the Hamilton pass well i think he knows deep down that Hamilton did nothing wrong.. .he was well within his rights to make the pass and unlap himself
3. Aussie Aussie Aussie
  27th July 2012, 3:53
  
  Harshly treated? Vettel makes a flagrantly illegal pass and loses 3 spots, while his teammate does … what, exactly? … and loses 5 grid positions? You be the judge of what’s “harsh”.
Dimitris 1395 (@)
26th July 2012, 11:43

Hot and dry practice and rainy qualifying and race. A perfect race weekend scenario…
1. PieLighter (@pielighter)
  26th July 2012, 11:46
  
  @dimitris-1395 Actually, just a wet race, Saturday is meant to be dry. So no one will have any wet running, except maybe on Friday. This will be a classic. :D
  1. timi (@timi)
    26th July 2012, 12:03
    
    @pielighter Your comment sums up a lot of what I think is wrong with modern day F1 fans. It’s as though we know our era isn’t as good as the Senna-Prost era (and other eras) so we take a peek at the weather forecast… “Oh what’s that? It’s going to be wet?! WOW it’s gonna be a classic”. Sad really.
    1. MazdaChris (@mazdachris)
      26th July 2012, 12:13
      
      I don’t really understand this comment. Surely there’s nothing new about the idea that wet races are inherently exciting? Especially when you factor in a dry qualifying and no chance of getting a wet set up beforehand. If you’re looking back to the days of senna and prost, consider how many wet races back then have become ingrained into the common mythology around the era. Wet races where drivers perform well are always well remembered. just like JB here last year, or LH in Silverstone.
      
      Wet races have always been exciting because of the random variables they throw into the mix, and the increased demands on the skill and concentration of the drivers. That’s a universal fact of racing.
      1. sorin (@)
        26th July 2012, 15:18
        
        This season, dry races were more spectacular than wet ones. Tyre management is the reason. Even more, when rain appears, let’s say normal rain, SC/red flag will stop the race and after the restart everybody will change the tyres at the same time, so no spectacle here. Will be some exception of drivers who will risk and try to overtake on wet, like Hamilton (remember last year Hungary when he made some overtakes on wet, but lost a lot on dry) and I think Raikkonen will try and risk some overtakes on wet, too. So I hope will be dry, for the sake of show.
    2. Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
      26th July 2012, 13:54
      
      @timi wet races are tricky for everyone, and it evens out the field. They are always exciting.
      
      It always happens like that. It adds unpredictability to an otherwise potential snorefest. Your comment is quite difficult to understand.
    3. DaveBanchero (@mfdb)
      26th July 2012, 15:00
      
      @timi – I remember watching every race in the Senna-Prost era and always enjoying a nice rain race. Or course, I don’t want to see rain every race and there are many courses where it’s best if it doesn’t rain, BUT it has always been fun to see how the drivers/cars/teams deal with the weather. One of the best aspects of F1 is that they run in heavy rain unlike many other motorsports.
      1. DaveBanchero (@mfdb)
        26th July 2012, 15:03
        
        Also, there were many dull races in the Senna era. I remember one year, (not sure which one – maybe the year the MP4/4 was so dominant), that Senna was leading by 45+ seconds half way through the race and all the cars were very spread out. So, if anything, this season is more entertaining in the dry (even if it is slightly contrived).
    4. PieLighter (@pielighter)
      26th July 2012, 22:52
      
      @timi I apologise for forgetting my rose-tinted glasses. Was Canada 2011 not wet on race day? Was it not hailed as a truly brilliant race?
    5. Aussie Aussie Aussie
      27th July 2012, 3:55
      
      You need to recall the 1984 Monaco GP, which really set up the whole Senna-Prost rivalry in the first place. What made that a classic again?
  2. sato113 (@sato113)
    26th July 2012, 14:31
    
    as a Hamilton fan, I want a dry qualy so Mclaren can FINALLY have a decent grid slot.
    1. javlinsharp (@javlinsharp)
      26th July 2012, 15:17
      
      Yes, it will take an “act of God” to get them in the front row…
      
      Sorry, I just couldnt resist :-)
sorin (@)
26th July 2012, 11:54

Nowadays, on rain is less spectacle than on dry, for two reasons: SC will stay to much on circuit(or will be red flag) and spectacle from tyre manager will be less (everyone will change at same time full wet with inter or vice versa).
JB (@)
26th July 2012, 11:56

As a Ferrari fan, I should be calm but, I don´t know why this race has got me uncomfortable… I am confident about FA´s skils but I feel he will not qualify so far up front this time and he might have contact and spoil his race…. Knock on wood…
I hope Massa gets his act together for this race…. God knows Ferrari needs it.
Overwatch (@overwatch)
26th July 2012, 11:58

So Alonso to win and possibly Schumacher near the podium as well, with strong Red Bull, maybe Sauber. McLaren and Lotus to hope for dry.
1. JCost (@jcost)
  26th July 2012, 21:38
  
  McLarens are toasted. Lewis is front row candidate in dry conditions but comes race day and it’s wet, I put my money on Alonso.
Yoshisune (@yobo01)
26th July 2012, 12:07

I miss the good, old, dry weekends.
Come on, it’s July, it can’t always rain.
1. MazdaChris (@mazdachris)
  26th July 2012, 12:28
  
  You’ve clearly not been in Britain for the past few months…
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
26th July 2012, 12:23

I wonder if warm and wet will mask the McLarens’ problem of getting their wet-weather tyres in the right window. Anyhow, not a great weather forecast for them. The hot conditions predicted for Saturday typically do not suit them (or is that irrelevant for qualifying?), and the wet doesn’t suit them either this year.

As a racing fan a wet race is always something to look forward to, but as a McLaren fan I would have wished for cool and dry – although that is unlikely in Hungary, of course.
MazdaChris (@mazdachris)
26th July 2012, 12:27

The other interesting prospect about a wet race is that we’ll go into the summer break still none the wiser about the relative performance of each team.
Nige.B (@nigel2509)
26th July 2012, 12:56

It wiil be hot! Watch out for the Black & Gold. Time for Kimi to win!!!!!!!!!
1. HUHHII (@huhhii)
  26th July 2012, 13:33
  
  If those forecasts are trustworthy, it’s gonna be hot only in qualifying. I hope Kimi would finally get his qualifying right.
  
  Lotus was awfully slow in Q2 and Q3 last weekend when the track was wet. Hopefully they’ve fixed the problem or otherwise it will be tough race for Kimi and Romain.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
26th July 2012, 13:40

Dry qualifying at the very least please! Been a while since we had an accurate picture of raw pace.
1. Eggry (@eggry)
  26th July 2012, 13:58
  
  I’m afraid it’s hardly the case. If they strongly believe Sunday would be wet, they won’t bet full on dry set up. It would be more or less mixed set up which we saw in Germany.
Exeter (@exeter)
26th July 2012, 14:54

The OMSZ (hungarian national weather service) link you provided seems to be wrong. Also, I’d like to suggest using this one instead, it’s the automatic forecast for Mogyoród, the exact location of the Hungaroring.

Mogyoród/Hungaroring forecast
MahavirShah (@mahavirshah)
26th July 2012, 15:04

I only hope it isn’t like Monaco with continuous ” (driver name) Rain expected within the next few laps, so watch those tyres ” messages. Not only was there no rain, the delay that the FIA sometimes have in the broadcast means that I was left expecting rain the whole race. After a point it began to grate on the nerves.

A lot of this years races have been impacted by rain in some way or the other. Can’t remember the last time so many races had rain threats or rain on race weekends. A full wet race would be interesting though.
KaIIe (@kaiie)
26th July 2012, 16:24

Interesting. If it rains on Friday, does this mean that the teams will run more than usual in the wet (because it might be wet on race day as well), or will they save wet tires for the race?
Daniel Brown (@scuderiaferrarifanatic)
26th July 2012, 19:39

Im sure if Alonso was reading this, he’d be rubbing his hands together with thoughts of another wet quali, then see that Saturday is forecast sunny, and say “well theres another pole for Vettel then, wonder what Monza will be like?” lol
BasCB (@bascb)
26th July 2012, 20:29

A wet and hot Hungarian, am I on the right site :-O

Actually its nice to have a bit of dry running and a wet race. Lets just hope it won’t be an on track deluge with the water then staying on track due to the fact its in a natural basin.
racerdude7730 (@racerdude7730)
26th July 2012, 23:31

I dont mind the rain all that much if it was a true full wet race. We have been getting alot of this rains on Friday or Saturday and then Sunday its sunny or sorta mixed. If it does rain i hope its a true wet race start to finish

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63 comments on “Hungary set to be hot – but wet”