F1: Hungarian party ahead of the summer break

Formula 1 heads to Budapest this weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix, the 11th round of the 2026 season and the final race before the summer break. The championship will resume on August 21 with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

The race at the Hungaroring marks the halfway point of the season, with Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli leading the standings on 204 points. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton sits second with 159 points, while George Russell is just five points further back in the other Mercedes.

Unsurprisingly, the spotlight in Hungary will once again be on Mercedes and Ferrari. However, many are giving the Italian team the edge even before the weekend begins, as the Hungaroring's combination of slow and medium-speed corners, along with its lack of long straights, is expected to play more to Ferrari's strengths than Mercedes'.

Ferrari arrives in Budapest on the back of Charles Leclerc's victory at Silverstone and a second-place finish in Belgium, while Hamilton returns to his most successful circuit, having won the Hungarian Grand Prix a record eight times.

With an upgraded rear wing making its debut this weekend, Ferrari has every reason to be optimistic, although it remains to be seen whether those improvements will be enough to overcome Mercedes.

Despite Ferrari's recent form and the nature of the circuit, championship leader Kimi Antonelli remains the favorite for victory after already claiming six wins this season. His teammate Russell could also play a major role in the fight at the front, particularly after Mercedes reportedly solved the energy deployment issue that hampered the Briton over the previous two race weekends.

The first real indication of the competitive order will come during Saturday's qualifying session (16:00 local time), which often proves decisive at the Hungaroring due to the circuit's limited overtaking opportunities.

Away from the battle for victory, Aston Martin is also expected to attract plenty of attention this weekend.

The Silverstone-based team, led by legendary designer Adrian Newey, has endured a difficult start to the season, struggling with both reliability issues and a clear lack of outright pace. Their lowest point came last weekend in Belgium, where the AMR26 was a staggering two seconds slower than championship newcomers Cadillac during qualifying.

However, Aston Martin is determined to turn things around in Hungary. The team is finally introducing a major upgrade package, featuring a significant number of new aerodynamic components and a heavily revised car. Additional upgrades are scheduled to arrive at Zandvoort in four weeks' time, when Honda's new power unit is also expected to make its debut, representing the next major step in Newey's long-term rebuilding project.

No dramatic leap up the order is expected just yet, but Aston Martin's immediate goal is clear: to become more competitive than Cadillac and finally begin moving in the right direction.