Hungarian Grand Prix storm: F1 teams adapt to extreme weather after paddock flood damage

The Hungarian Grand Prix paddock in 2022 — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 teams adapt to extreme storm after Hungarian GP paddock damage

Extreme weather has caused flooding at the Hungaroring

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 18 July 2024 14:30 Updated: 17:16

The Hungarian Grand Prix paddock has been hit by extreme weather ahead of the race at the Hungaroring this weekend.

Whilst hot weather has been forecast for the 13th race weekend of the 2024 Formula 1 season, brutal flash floods have caused teams up and down the paddock to adapt their preparations.

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Videos of the paddock have circulated on social media, showing the hailstorm and how deep the water has become on track.

One video depicted a Red Bull employee trudging through the water in his socks with two cups of tea in his shoes as hail rained down on him.

Stake F1 team on the other hand appeared to embrace the madness, providing good vibes on social media as always.

Storm damages McLaren motorhome at Hungarian GP

Meanwhile, McLaren have suffered damage to their motorhome after extreme weather battered the track in yet another unfortunate incident for the team.

This is not the first instance of an issue with McLaren’s motorhome this season, with the team suffering damage at the Spanish Grand Prix.

On the Friday in Barcelona, a fire broke out in McLaren’s hospitality suite, with emergency services called and their staff forced to evacuate.

Several individuals were treated for smoke inhalation but none were seriously injured after the electrical fire broke out.

McLaren suffered an electrical fire in Spain

According to F1 paddock photographer Kym Illman, the roof was ripped off by the storm winds, posting a picture of the incident on social media.

“Heavy rain, accompanied by hail, lightning and strong winds, flooded pit lane too with one F1 team member jokingly swimming in the 20 cm deep water,” he wrote.

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A post shared by Kym Illman F1 (@kymillman)

Despite the extreme weather, the flash storm is not expected to disrupt any of the F1 running this weekend, with much of the floods forecast to have already passed by the time practice and qualifying come around.

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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F1 McLaren Ricciardo Hungaroring Newey Kym Illman