Hungarian Grand Prix

Weather forecast for the weekend. This event in 2006 saw Button get his first F1 race win.

The Hungarian Grand Prix in 2006 marked the last occasion the event was held in wet conditions. The track was already wet at the beginning of the race, making it a historic first for a wet Hungarian Grand Prix. All competitors started on intermediate tires, except for Barrichello, who opted for full wets.

Early on, polesitter Kimi Räikkönen quickly established his lead. Both Alonso and Schumacher delivered impressive climbs through the field. Schumacher advanced from 11th to 6th by the first corner, while Alonso moved up from 15th with a notably aggressive and hard-fought opening lap. Alonso then engaged in a straight fight with Schumacher for several laps before executing a pass on the outside of Turn 5, securing 3rd place. He further progressed to take the lead after the McLaren drivers, Pedro de la Rosa and Räikkönen, made their pit stops.

Traditionally, Bridgestone wet-weather tires were dominant in non-dry conditions, but in this race, the Japanese compound appeared to be an exception. All drivers using Bridgestone tires, including those from Ferrari, struggled with significantly reduced pace compared to their rivals. Schumacher found himself battling Giancarlo Fisichella for 5th place, ultimately losing his front wing in a mid-corner incident while fending off snap-oversteer, resulting in a forced pit stop that put him a lap down. Soon after, Jenson Button showcased remarkable overtaking prowess, passing Massa, Fisichella, and Schumacher in under two laps. Räikkönen, facing difficulties on his second set of tires, crashed into the rear of Vitantonio Liuzzi's Toro Rosso, launching the car and necessitating a safety car period. This incident allowed Alonso to pit, enabling Schumacher to regain the lead lap. Another beneficiary of the safety car was Jenson Button, who chose not to pit and climbed to 2nd position behind Alonso. Following the safety car restart, Button challenged Alonso, but eventually had to pit for fuel. Alonso maintained the lead, but a subsequent pit stop for dry tires proved disastrous as his right-rear wheel nut detached, causing him to lose control and crash.

Button inherited the lead and held it unchallenged for the remainder of the race. Schumacher made his way up to 2nd by remaining on intermediate tires as other drivers made further stops.