The Hungaroring has officially named its 14 corners, with Turn 2 dedicated to seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton as part of the circuit's 40th anniversary celebrations.
Hamilton, the most successful driver in the history of the Hungarian Grand Prix with eight victories and nine pole positions, was chosen for the honour alongside other F1 legends including Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Jean Alesi.
The naming follows a fan voting initiative launched during last year's Hungarian Grand Prix. A panel of experts — comprising motorsport professionals who have worked at the circuit since its inaugural race in 1986, alongside leading specialist media representatives — reviewed thousands of fan suggestions to select the final names.
Turn 1 has been named after Nelson Piquet, winner of the first two Hungarian Grands Prix, while Turn 4 honours Nigel Mansell, who secured his only world championship at the venue in 1992. Turn 11 bears the name of Jean Alesi, whose spectacular 1995 crash at that corner led Hungarian fans to unofficially dub it "Alesi" for decades. Turn 12 is named after Michael Schumacher, who clinched his fourth drivers' title at the Hungaroring in 2001, and Turn 13 honours Ayrton Senna, who took pole for the inaugural race in 1986.
The remaining corners celebrate local heritage: Turn 3 (Spring) references the Valley of the Three Springs, Turn 5 (Mogyoród) honours the town that hosts the circuit, and Turns 8-9 (Buda/Pest) and Turn 10 (Danube) pay tribute to Budapest. The final corner, Turn 14, is named Szisz after Hungarian-born Ferenc Szisz, winner of the first Grand Prix in history in 1906.
Hamilton, who previously mentioned in an interview that Turn 2 would be his preferred corner to have named after him, said during the Hungarian Grand Prix media day that it was a great honour to see his name become a permanent fixture at the track. The seven-time champion also left his handprint, which will be cast in concrete alongside those of Mansell and Alesi in the circuit's run-off area.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101746/1/lewis-hamilton-among-f1-legends-honoured-hungaroring-corner-name
- https://hungaroring.hu/site/en/media/news/the-hungarorings-corners-have-officially-been-named
