Formula 1 made its first journey to Hungary in 1986, meaning the country is marking the 40th anniversary of its inaugural grand prix this year.

The purpose-built Hungaroring has featured on every Formula 1 schedule since, with only Italy's Monza boasting a longer unbroken streak. The venue, which has undergone a substantial renovation over the past two years, with new pits, paddock and spectator facilities, as well as a complete resurfacing, is a popular venue. Nearby Budapest is a lively city, with its historic center straddling the Danube River, and it's the ideal location for Formula 1 to break in advance of the summer break.

The Hungaroring has sometimes been compared to a karting track, with the circuit - located in a natural bowl - tight, twisty, and narrow. Strong mechanical grip is required, along with high levels of downforce, while overtaking opportunities are at a premium owing to the lack of lengthy straights. That places an emphasis on grid position, though Hungary's hot summer sun can lead to high track temperatures, placing an additional strain on the tires, and opening up alternative strategies if degradation is extreme.

Reserve Driver Ryo Hirakawa will participate in his second FP1 session of the season, following his first outing in Austria last month, this time driving Ollie Bearman's VF-26.

Last year's Hungarian Grand Prix proved to be a challenging encounter, as Esteban Ocon - who scored his maiden Formula 1 victory at the venue in 2021 - was 16th, with Ollie Bearman not classified.

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal: "In Spa, we managed to make some progress in terms of understanding and improving the performance of the VF-26, even though the result on Sunday was ultimately very disappointing. For the final race before the summer shutdown, we head to Hungaroring, which offers very different challenges to Spa, and on Friday, we will have more test items to improve our understanding further. Ryo will also replace Ollie for FP1, and we're very much looking forward to seeing how he can build on from his first outing in Spielberg. As ever, the competition is very fierce, but we're determined to maximize everything before heading off for a much-deserved summer break."

Ryo Hirakawa: "Firstly, I'd like to thank TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and TGR Haas F1 Team for the opportunity to get back behind the wheel during FP1 in Hungary. It will be my second time in the VF-26 after a difficult FP1 session in Austria, where aero tests and a red flag prevented me from completing some push laps. Next week I'll have the chance to do some push laps, which is very exciting. The track is really challenging, it's quite small, narrow and has a lot of low- and medium-speed corners. It'll be very nice to push the limits and to provide good feedback to the team, which will help them prepare a strong car setup for FP2 and the remainder of the weekend."

Ollie Bearman: "It would be very easy, looking at our current form, to think we're counting down the days to the summer shutdown, but honestly, all this team wants to do is end the first half of the season on a high. I'm sitting out FP1 this week, with Ryo jumping in my car, so I'm looking forward to being able to follow a session from a different perspective and get his thoughts too - as his feedback is integral. It's a technical circuit, with similarities to a karting track, but you need a lot of downforce to be fast around the Hungaroring. Right now, my focus is on keeping up the level of consistency I've been showing for a while now and keeping the team's morale up through a tricky time. Everyone is pushing to find performance, and I'm very proud of that; it's all you can ask for."

Esteban Ocon: "Hungary is one of my favorite race weekends of the year. I'm looking forward to driving on the track, and every year I go there, the atmosphere is great as I get a lot of support from the Hungarian fans. I had my best day in Formula 1 at the Hungaroring in 2021, so it's always a very special time to go back. The city really comes alive for the race week, and that makes the atmosphere even better. I'm looking forward to going back, and hopefully we can have a decent weekend."