Hungary represents the final race in the F1 season before drivers and teams take a four-week break before a big run of 10 races from August through December. So what should you be looking for in this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix? Here's something for each team.
McLaren: Will Piastri begin to pull away?
After back-to-back wins pre-Belgium, Lando Norris had himself right within range of Oscar Piastri's championship lead. But then at Spa, Piastri was once again the better driver, and put himself 16 points ahead. A win in Hungary will at minimum get him 24 points out front with 10 races to go. That isn't insurmountable at all, but it will put him in a spot where he can feel more in control.
Ferrari: Can Lewis put together a clean, positive weekend?
Lewis Hamilton's first year at Ferrari really only has one big victorious highlight, and it was a sprint race win (a.k.a. something no one really remembers). He has yet to stand on the podium for Ferrari and has gotten cleaned out on qualifying form by Charles Leclerc, 9-4. But Hamilton's recovery efforts at Spa to go from 16th to 7th with some great overtaking showed promise. The results have been just fine for Hamilton so far, but can he have something worth spilling champagne over?
Mercedes: Can Kimi stop the bleeding?
It's been a horrific two months for Kimi Antonelli. He's scored points just once (a podium, to be fair) in the past nearly three months. He's DNFed four times and was absolutely nowhere on pace in Belgium. The potential is undoubtable, and we saw it before this stretch from him, but how long until he unlocks that again? He's got a good shot to turn it around in Budapest, where he won the F2 feature race last year.
Red Bull: Just how often can Max still challenge for wins?
The Red Bull is 2025 isn't very good. But that doesn't mean Max Verstappen can't still bring it to the top step of the podium. Verstappen surprisingly did just that in the Belgian sprint on Saturday before languishing behind Charles Leclerc for fourth in the grand prix. Verstappen "just" has one podium since his last win at Imola and it's clear that he has to do everything to wrestle the car into the top three spots. But with his single lap pace and a track that is notoriously hard to pass on, can he pick up win number 66 in Hungary?
Williams: Can Carlos Sainz rise to the occasion?
Williams find themselves in a comfortable fifth spot that is likely theirs as long as they can put up points from time to time in the final 11 race weekends. Alex Albon has found himself back on form with back-to-back top 8 finishes, and a P6 in Spa. But Carlos Sainz is still seeking a performance to inspire as much confidence as Albon has. Spa was a brutal one for Sainz, and while he has found points usually every other race weekend, it's been a string of P9 and P10s. With Albon far out ahead in the quali and GP head-to-head, Sainz needs to find himself an effort worthy of more than four points.
Sauber: Is a run at P6 really in the cards?
From last place and barely scoring to putting up points on a weekly basis -- it has been a heck of a run for Sauber. Nico Hulkenberg now has scored in five consecutive weekends, and Gabriel Bortoleto has put up points now in two of three. It's going to be a tough battle for P6 in the constructor's table, with four teams within eight points, but it is certainly possible for Sauber.
Racing Bulls: Can Liam Lawson take control as the top driver?
Isack Hadjar has impressed for a large portion of this season while Liam Lawson was stuck in the headlines for his quick sacking from Red Bull. But as time has gone by, Lawson has found some consistency while Hadjar has hit a bit of a lull. Hadjar is pointless in four-straight grand prix efforts (he did get a single point in the Belgium sprint). Meanwhile, Lawson has a P6 and P8 in his last four races. Hadjar still has a massive head-to-head advantage (combined 21-4 across all sessions), but the points that Lawson has posted show great promise.
Aston Martin: Can they rebound after a poor weekend in Belgium?
Aston suffered through six straight pointless weekends from Japan through Monaco before Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll combined to post 22 points from Spain through Silverstone. It seemed as though the team has pulled itself from a having a shot at finishing last to getting back in the P6 fight. But this weekend could show us if that was all just a flash in the pan.
Haas: Is Oliver Bearman showing enough to stick around?
Ollie Bearman posted his first points since April with a P7 in the Belgian sprint, but that P10 in Bahrain is his last time pulling points in a grand prix. One would think that Bearman is in Haas' long-term plan, but how much that is deserved depends on how much weight you put on the rookie's head-to-head with Esteban Ocon. Ocon is up on him in points 27-8, although the race/qualifying head-to-head is much closer (16-10). 2026 is probably in the cards for Bearman, but he'll need more to get past that.
Alpine: Is this it for Colapinto?
Alpine discarded Jack Doohan in a pretty pathetically telegraphed move that everyone saw coming. They did it to get Franco Colapinto in the door where he has done the exact same amount as Doohan: nothing. Colapinto's best finish is a P13 and his biggest highlight is probably when he almost crashed into Oscar Piastri going a lap down. The rumors of him being replaced have persisted for quite awhile, but the natural time to do it would be over the summer break if he shows nothing in Budapest.