Hungaroring and FIA confirm overnight track repairs after F1 drivers voice concerns

The FIA and the Hungaroring have confirmed that emergency overnight repairs were carried out to the track surface after multiple F1 drivers raised serious concerns about the quality of recently resurfaced sections during Friday practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Several areas of the circuit, freshly relaid as part of the venue's ongoing development programme, proved bumpy, inconsistent and, in places, were visibly opening up under the loads generated by F1 machinery.

The problems were most acute at Turn 1, a critical overtaking zone, and around the final corners, where drivers reported having to avoid the apex entirely to stay on stable tarmac.

Mercedes' George Russell was among those to voice his frustration after FP2. "It's a bit of a shame, because Budapest is one of the most enjoyable circuits to drive," he said. "They've resurfaced a third of the track, and unfortunately they've done a really bad job.

"It's really bumpy. You saw loads of people locking up at Turn 1, and the track's breaking up in the last corner. People are sort of driving around the middle of the corner and not actually hitting the apex, which is just a bit odd."

McLaren's Oscar Piastri echoed those sentiments. "The track surface is quite bizarre in a couple of places," the Australian added. "In the new bits, where it's worn away, and they've added in some strips of tarmac, it's quite inconsistent."

The difficulties contributed to a chaotic FP2 session, with Alpine's Franco Colapinto crashing at the final corner after losing the rear of his A526 in an area where the lack of grip proved treacherous throughout the day.

FIA inspection and overnight fixes

FIA race director Rui Marques and other officials conducted a track examination on Friday evening, with Max Verstappen among the drivers who raised the issue during the driver briefing. The motorsport governing body subsequently confirmed that remedial action had been taken.

"It was inspected, and remedial works were undertaken overnight," the FIA confirmed in a statement. "Two areas were addressed, one online and one to the right of the line where an overtaking car would travel."

The Hungaroring itself released a detailed statement explaining the background to the resurfacing and the corrective measures applied.

"In the spring, HUNGARORING Sport Zrt. resurfaced the sections of the track that had been subjected to the heaviest use during the implementation of the Strategic Development Programme, with the involvement of international experts," the Hungarian Grand Prix circuit said in a statement.

"These sections included Turns 1, 2, 12, 13 and 14, as well as the run-off areas. (The start/finish straight had already been resurfaced prior to the 2025 race.)

"In response to Max Verstappen's comments yesterday, the Hungaroring's technical team addressed the reported surface irregularities on the start/finish straight by using infrared technology to re-soften the asphalt before correcting the surface through rolling."

Tyre concerns and Saturday improvement

Pirelli had flagged potential issues even before the weekend began, with chief engineer Simone Berra revealing that the tyre supplier had been warned about the surface condition.

"I had feedback from the circuit before this event some weeks ago that the track was opening up from other championships running here," he revealed on Friday evening in Budapest.

Berra also pointed out that the abrasive surface could prove challenging from a tyre wear perspective, adding: "The risk is to reduce the grip level and to slide more in this area.

"You generate more overheating in the end because you slide more. And obviously, it can get worse lap by lap, especially I would expect for a race where all the cars are running together, especially if the temperatures will be hotter in the next couple of days."

Saturday's FP3 session offered encouraging signs that the overnight intervention had worked. Conditions on the repaired sections appeared notably improved, with far fewer reports of lock-ups and surface degradation compared to the previous day, though grip levels across the circuit remained low as rubber continued to build on the evolving track.