F1 Hungarian Grand Prix: 5 Most Memorable Moments From The Past

Hungary has been hosting the Formula 1 Grand Prix for quite a while, and the Hungaroring has remained one of the favourites due to its tight and curvy corners. Few even compare this track with the iconic Circuit de Monaco. With its contract being extended until 2026, we are sure to see some exciting races in the near future.

The Grand Prix at Budapest will be the final stop for the teams and drivers before the break and both Mercedes and Ferrari would be looking to head into the break on a high. Hamilton had a dream drive at Hockenheimring, winning the race after starting from the fourteenth place. His arch-rival, Sebastian Vettel was not fortunate and crashed out of the Grand Prix after leading the race for most of the time. With the way the current F1 season is turning out, there is bound to be an exciting duel between the Ferraris and the Mercedes in the Hungarian GP.

As Budapest is all set to host the round 12 of the 2018 Formula 1 season, let us take a trip down the memory lane and revisit some of the most memorable racing moments from the Hungaroring.

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#5 Daniel Ricciardo's stunning drive in the final few laps - 2014

Ricciardo's brilliant overtakes in the final few laps led him to a victory

Daniel Ricciardo's second win of the 2014 Formula 1 season was a stunner, with the Australian gaining crucial ground in the final laps to wrestle the win away from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

Rain and thunderstorms lashed the track prior to the start of the race forcing almost everyone to begin on intermediates. Multiple safety car deployments and changing track conditions played in favour of the Red Bull driver.

The final 10 laps of the race featured the most action as it was a three-way battle for the lead between Alonso, Hamilton and the Australian. Daniel Riccardo passed both the drivers on the same lap and took the lead with only two laps to go. He held his ground and picked up a memorable win.

Lewis Hamiton's miraculous third-place finish after starting the race from the pits received critical acclaim.

Video: Ricciardo passes Hamilton and Alonso at Hungary

#4 Nigel Mansell wins from the 12th place - 1989

Mansell defied all odds and won the race

Nigel Mansell's win from the 12th place was one of those memorable moments when drivers come back from behind to take the checkered flag.

The British driver had a lacklustre qualifying session and managed to finish twelveth, over two seconds behind the polesitter Riccardo Patrese.

Mansell had a great start and moved four places just after the first corner of the race. He continued to march his way towards the top. A couple of mechanical failures troubling his opponents helped his cause.

The moment of the race came when he scuffled the lead away from Ayrton Senna by taking advantage of a lapped car. Mansell finished the race on top to grab his second victory of the season.

Video: Mansell passes Senna 1989 Hungary

#3 Fernando Alonso becomes the youngest driver to win an F1 race - 2003

Alonso dominated the weekend at Budapest

With a dominant drive both in qualifying and the race, the Spaniard won the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix unchallenged. Being only 22 years, he etched his name into the record books as the youngest driver to win a Formula 1 race.

Fernando Alonso started the race from pole and led most of the race. The Spaniard's best moment came when he lapped the world champion Michael Schumacher, who was down in the 8th place. Alonso's Renault was clearly superior to the rest of the field that weekend and managed to win the race with a margin of over 16 seconds.

The record of the youngest F1 victor is currently held by Red Bull's Max Verstappen after his win in the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.

Video: Fernando Alonso speaks after his maiden F1 win

#2 Jenson Button wins his first Grand Prix - 2006

A brilliant drive in the wet ensures his first win

Jenson Button's win at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix was the first Formula 1 win of his career. The Briton tackled difficult race conditions with fortitude and emerged victorious in the first ever wet race at Budapest.

Button had a very good qualifying session that saw him finish fourth. However, with a 10-place grid penalty, he was forced to start the race from the 14th place at the back of the grid.

Collisions and mechanical failures retired most of the top runners paving the way for the Briton. Button took the lead after Alonso retired and crossed the finish line unchallenged giving Honda a memorable victory.

There are quite a lot of firsts at Budapest. McLaren's Pedro de la Rosa secured his first podium, BMW Sauber obtained its first podium finish with a brilliant third-place finish by Nick Heidfeld. Debutant Robert Kubica scored points but was later disqualified from the race. Moreover, it was the first win for a Honda team in 39 years.

Video: Jenson Button speaks after his first F1 win

#1 Ayrton Senna beats Alain Prost - 1988

Senna and Prost had a fantastic duel

Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna had a fantastic duel in the 1986 Hungarian Grand Prix, which was the first Formula 1 race held behind the iron curtain. Piquet emerged victorious in that race and beat his fellow countryman with a gap of over 16 seconds.

Two years later, Aryton Senna would return to Budapest to have a great battle with his teammate Alain Prost.

The Brazilian aced the qualifying session and started the race from the pole position. Alain Prost could not match Senna's pace and started from the 7th spot.

An inspired drive from the Frenchman ensured that he would pass the field to chase the leader Senna from the second spot. The teammates were locked in an exciting battle throughout the closing stages of the Grand Prix with Senna seeing the checkered flag first, followed by Prost who was just 0.5 seconds behind the Brazilian.

Video: Senna vs Prost at Hungaroring 1988