Formula 1 teams can start their annual summer break today. Sometime this month, each of the 10 teams has to close its factory for 14 consecutive days. Laptops stay in the office, email goes unchecked. It all sounds very civilized for a sport where the difference between hero and zero can come down to milliseconds. As was the case at this past weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, at least in qualifying.
When the Hungaroring was added to the calendar back in 1986, it was F1’s first true foray behind the Iron Curtain. Just 2.7 miles (4.3 km) long, the layout features a lot of medium-speed corners one after another that make overtaking more than a little challenging—to the extent that people call it “Monaco without the walls,” something you’ll hear so often over the course of a Hungarian Grand Prix weekend you’ll want to scream.
Besides, more interesting things happen at the Hungaroring.
