Budapest is set to play host to the ninth round of this 2024 FIA Formula 2 season, and it will also be the venue for the first of two back-to-back race weekends before the summer break.

The Drivers’ Championship has a new leader in Isack Hadjar while his Campos Racing team continue to set the pace in the Teams’ Standings.

But there are plenty of storylines going on in the paddock and here are a few you should look out for this weekend…

HADJAR AND CAMPOS SETTING THE PACE

Speaking after Hadjar’s victory at Silverstone, Team Principal Adrián Campos Jr called the Frenchman the “driver to beat” and looking at his current form it is hard to disagree.

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Hadjar has won three of the last six Feature Races, and in the three he did not win he still finished on the podium twice, with his worst result coming in Barcelona where he ended up fifth.

His victory at Silverstone puts him at the top and given his form of late, it will be difficult to wrestle the lead away from him.

As for Campos Racing, they have had the lead of the Teams’ Championship since the end of Imola, and while their nearest challenger has often changed, they have remained a steady presence at the top.

After a difficult start to the year for both team and driver where they dealt with reliability issues, they have found their form, and they look a tough combination to beat.

Budapest will represent another challenge for them but as Campos Jr said after Silverstone, they as a team have been competitive at each circuit.

Therefore, they will feel confident heading to the Hungaroring while their rivals will know they have their work cut out if they are to beat the Hadjar and Campos partnership.

ARON AND HITECH EYEING A BOUNCE BACK

It was hard to name a more consistent combination across the first half of the season than Paul Aron and Hitech Pulse-Eight, as the Estonian rookie achieved a podium at each of the opening seven rounds.

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Unfortunately, as the second half of the campaign got underway at Silverstone, they went without scoring across an entire weekend.

This meant Aron lost his lead in the Drivers’ Championship and now sits second 16 points behind Hadjar, while Hitech went from being second, and having a one-point deficit to Campos in the Teams’ Standings, to fourth.

A big part of their issue came in Qualifying where Aron spun on his flying lap on his second set of tyres. But what will fill them with confidence is that until that point, he was on provisional pole.

Even in the races, he showed tremendous pace and had he not had a penalty for a collision with Joshua Duerksen in the Feature, he might have still scored points.

Therefore, look for Aron and Hitech to come out swinging in Budapest, as they look to get back on track in both Championships.

MALONEY AND RODIN CONTINUE THEIR FIGHTBACK

For Zane Maloney and Rodin Motorsport, the start to the season could not have been much better as they completed a historic double at the opening weekend in Sakhir.

But as the competition ramped up around them and as they encountered some bad luck, their form dipped, and they lost both leads in the Championships.

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However, they seemed to have turned their form around at Silverstone, where Maloney finished second in both races, and it was positive that he felt afterwards that a win was possible in the Feature.

This gives the Bajan driver six podiums this year – the second most behind Aron – and puts him firmly back into title contention as he sits just 32 points behind Hadjar in third place.

Coming to Budapest though, they will be looking to continue their Silverstone form as with both Championship battles so tight, a good or bad weekend could have big implications.

TEMPERATURE AND TYRES

Silverstone produced a very difficult challenge for the drivers as they had to deal with cooler temperatures and wet weather conditions.

However, Budapest will likely provide a different, but perhaps just as difficult a test given that hot temperatures are expected through the weekend.

This will put a huge amount of strain on the tyres, with Pirelli even making the decision to bring to the Soft and Hard compounds instead of the Soft and Mediums they brought last year.

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This would usually mean that the drivers do not have to do as much tyre management given that the Hungaroring does not put as much stress through the tyres as other tracks, but the warm conditions might say differently.

In Qualifying it will be important to make sure that you do not push too hard on the Softs to start the lap, as you need to save tyres for the final sector.

In the Sprint Race, the tyre of choice last year was the Mediums, so will the teams play it safe with the Hards or choose to take the riskier option with the Softs?

Finally in the Feature, what strategy will each driver employ, and can they keep their tyres in check to avoid falling through the field late on?

Whatever they choose, we are definitely set for an exciting weekend of action in Budapest.