One more push awaits the F1 field before the well-deserved summer break kicks off after this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. Formula One's sole tyre supplier Pirelli explains why it elected against supplying teams with the softest compounds.

The Hungaroring provides the backdrop to the last few days of Formula 1 track action prior to the summer break. This weekend’s race will be the fortieth anniversary of the Hungarian Grand Prix and the Hungaroring track will also be in use on the Tuesday and Wednesday, 5 and 6 August, when Pirelli is running a 2026 tyre development test.

The Hungaroring facility is currently undergoing a major transformation. Firstly, the paddock area was refurbished and this year, the main changes relate to the pit lane and the main straight, as well the pit complex and the main grandstand. The grid area and the pit lane have been resurfaced, using 860 tonnes of a specially designed mix, using bitumen with a higher softening point.

The compounds

The trio of slick tyre compounds is the same as last year: C3 as Hard, C4 as Medium and C5 as Soft. Up until last year, these would have been the softest tyres of all, but this year, the C6 was introduced.

The Milan-based tyre manufacturer has explained that the brand-new compound "would be too extreme a choice for a track that exerts this level of energy density on the tyres for every lap. Although the actual loads are not that high in absolute terms, the fact that the lap is short means that it increases cumulatively and significantly with each lap."

Another factor that plays its part is the high temperature that usually accompanies the Hungarian weekend, leading to predominantly thermal degradation, exacerbated by the very dark track surface. In fact, last year’s race here saw the highest recorded track temperature of the season, at 58.6 °C.

What does the past tell?

As for the strategies from the past season, the most popular strategy was the two-stop, running various combinations of the C3 and C4. The Medium performed best and 13 drivers chose it for the start.

Of the remaining seven, four went with the Soft and three with the Hard. Yuki Tsunoda in the Racing Bulls, was the only driver to get to the chequered flag having made just one stop, while some pitted three times, running a short final stint on the Soft.

The Aston Martin pair of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll made two stops, using all three compounds, having gone their own way in terms of tyre management in free practice. The Canadian drove the longest stint (14 laps) on the Soft.