Direct from the Belgian Grand Prix, the Cadillac Formula 1® Team travels to Budapest this week, and the Hungaroring, home of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Round 11 of the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship™.

The Hungaroring is a mainstay of the calendar, having hosted a round of the World Championship every year since 1986, with only Italy's Monza circuit having a longer current tenure. It's a familiar destination now, but groundbreaking back in the 1980s, when it was F1's first, and only, expedition behind the then-Iron Curtain.

The Hungaroring is atypical for a permanent circuit, with the standout characteristic being its sequences of linked, medium-low speed corners. It resembles a scaled-up karting circuit or, as it has often been described, the Circuit de Monaco minus the barriers. During the Grand Prix, the short straights do not provide many overtaking opportunities, which leads to frustration when cars are stuck in traffic.

The outlet for that frustration is often provided by strategy. The central European plain experiences very hot temperatures at this time of year, and the asphalt at the Hungaroring soaks up all of that heat, placing harsh demands on tires. It's frequently a race with multiple stops, in which the people on the pit wall attempt to engineer a track position advantage.

Helping out with that work will be test driver Colton Herta, who will substitute for Valtteri Bottas in the first practice session, while also running his own Formula 2 program. This will be Colton's second session of the year, having made his debut in June at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

"Hungary is likely to be another hot weekend - but at a circuit that will perhaps suit the characteristics of our car a little better than last week," says Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal. "I'm pleased with the progress that we have made across the opening half of our first F1 season, but we still have work to do to achieve the reliability that we want. The more mileage we accrue, the better positioned we will be to understand our package and develop the car. In particular, we will be looking to put mileage on the new brake drums introduced to ease the issue we had in Austria. We will be stress-testing the MAC-26 with a series of race simulations so both drivers can extract the maximum performance from the car. There are no short-cuts in designing certain parts of the car and every operating scenario is completely new for us but we are constantly learning and improving as a team."

The Cadillac Formula 1® Team drivers have great experience at the Hungaroring. Valtteri was a winner in the junior category GP3 series, back in 2011, and the following year had a rookie outing here. He has since made a dozen appearances in the Hungarian Grand Prix, finishing on the podium in 2017 and 2020. Checo Perez also raced here as a junior, finishing on the podium in the 2010 GP2 series feature race. He has since contested 14 Hungarian Grands Prix, with a podium in 2023.

Checo Perez: "Back-to-back races are a real challenge for teams, particularly those that are very different in characteristics. It's tough to go from track to track, analyze our last race, prepare for our next race, bring new upgraded parts, and then get the best out of ourselves when the season is moving at this speed - but we're well prepared, the team is working cohesively, and we're looking forward to going into the summer break on the back of a good performance in Hungary."

Valtteri Bottas: "It was good to do a full race distance last weekend, and it seemed like we were a little closer to the midfield. The Hungaroring should be better suited to our car, and we're keen to go into the break with momentum. A lot of Finns come to Hungary for this Grand Prix, and that's always a huge positive for me. I'll certainly be looking for the flags in the grandstands."

Colton Herta: "It's very exciting to get another chance in FP1. It's a good opportunity for my personal experience, but the ultimate goal is, of course, to help the team with its development. It's been six weeks since I was last in the car, and there's been a lot of evolution in that time. My job is to help the race drivers have the best possible Hungarian Grand Prix - but also provide the feedback that will aid the team in its long-term development aims and give me a better baseline in future sessions."

This is the final race before the summer break, after which F1 will go quiet with three free weekends, during which time the factories are closed, and the design-effort halted. With its first ten races completed, the Cadillac Formula 1® Team has now raced 836 laps, across 4,331km (2,691mi). The cars have seen the checkered flag 13 times from their 20 starts, with both cars finishing in China, Japan, Miami and Great Britain. The best finish to date is 13th for Valtteri in China, with the race at the Shanghai International Circuit also being the best combined performance, with Checo coming home 15th.