Hungaroring’s multi-year rebuild enters final phase for 2026 Hungarian GP

• 2026 Hungarian GP will debut a fully rebuilt Hungaroring, resurfaced and renewed.
• 23,785 cubic metres of concrete, with 1,500 workers have shaped the transformation.
• Italian firm Dromo is now on site finishing the final sector, and the clock is running.

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Workers are now resurfacing the final sector of the Hungaroring as the circuit’s most ambitious overhaul since it opened in 1986 enters its concluding stage.

The 2026 Hungarian GP is scheduled for 24-26 July in Mogyoród, just outside Budapest. When the Formula 1 field arrives, they will find a circuit that has been rebuilt almost from the ground up.

The transformation has unfolded across three distinct phases, managed by a consortium of Market Építő Zrt. and Bayer Construct Zrt. since late 2023.

One of the more unusual pressures on the project has been time. Construction had to stop twice, first for the 2024 race and then again for the 2025 edition, before resuming each time.

Despite that, the project has stayed on course.

A three-phase project reaching its conclusion

The first phase wrapped up in May 2024. It covered the retaining walls of the event area, but the scope grew as work progressed.

Builders widened the paddock and completed two tunnels running beneath the start/finish straight. That allowed construction to continue at a faster pace once the 2024 race had passed.

Keeping to that timeline required an extraordinary effort. At peak periods, the site ran 24 hours a day. Between 400 and 500 workers were on site at any one time, with 1,500 people involved across the project in total.

The second phase, which ran from the week after the 2024 race through to the 2025 Hungarian GP weekend, tackled the most visible work.

Hungaroring prepares upgraded track for F1 return:

— The Hungaroring has completed a major resurfacing of its 620-meter main straight ahead of the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, part of a broader modernization effort that includes a new pit building, renovated main entrance, and… pic.twitter.com/w2qxGQmR3a

— This is Formula 1 (@ThisIsFormu1a1) June 11, 2025

The paddock, the main building and the main grandstand were all completely overhauled.

According to the official F1 website, in the six months following the 2024 race alone, crews poured 23,785 cubic metres of concrete, installed 7,604 tonnes of reinforcing steel and built 759 square metres of masonry structure.

Now the third and final phase is in progress. Full reconstruction work is targeted for completion by April 2026, giving the circuit several months to breathe before teams arrive in Budapest in mid-summer.

The main straight sets the standard

Before this final phase began, the Hungaroring had already signalled how seriously it was treating the track surface. Ahead of last year’s race, workers completely relaid the main straight.

🚧 Da comienzo la segunda fase del reasfaltado del Hungaroring

👉 Tras el reasfaltado de la recta principal y la reconstrucción de las tribunas y el edificio principal en 2025, se están llevando a cabo trabajos en otros tramos, incluido el último sector.

👉 Estas obras forman… pic.twitter.com/UqrpcrAWoy

— Fórmula Directa (@FormulaDirecta) April 12, 2026

Three finishers worked side by side to lay the wearing course, applying 860 tonnes of a specially formulated mix containing bitumen with a higher-than-standard softening point.

The operation required careful preparation. SWIETELSKY’s experts designed the mix in advance and ran a large-scale trial before committing to the final installation.

Preparation alone took two days. The asphalting itself was done in a single day.

Italian circuit design firm Dromo provided technical support throughout. Dromo, led by founder and chief executive Jarno Zaffelli, has worked on resurfacing projects at Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Paul Ricard and Singapore, among others.

Dromo’s involvement with the Hungaroring stretches back to the previous year, when the firm assisted with resurfacing above the newly built tunnels.

Zaffelli was on site overseeing the current work, according to Motorsport.com. Resurfacing is now progressing through multiple sections beyond the main straight, including the final sector.

The work is being carried out in stages, structured around the July race weekend deadline.

Hungarian GP: A long-term commitment to F1

The scale of this investment makes sense when viewed alongside the Hungaroring’s future in the sport.

At the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, the circuit secured a contract extension running through to 2032. That deal gave both the venue and its backers the confidence to commit to a rebuild of this magnitude.

The Hungarian government has guaranteed full financial support for the project. The economic logic behind that backing is clear.

The Hungarian GP draws more than 300,000 visitors in a typical year. Around 80% of those are travelling from outside Hungary.

The event generates more than 26 billion forints in GDP impact, making it the most attended sporting event in the country. The circuit’s progress has not gone unnoticed.

Representatives from the FIA and Formula 1 teams visited the Hungaroring in person and praised both the infrastructure improvements and the quality of the construction work.

Their assessment suggests the venue is positioning itself among the leading circuits on the calendar.

When the field lines up in Budapest this July for the 41st Hungarian Grand Prix, they will find more than a familiar stretch of asphalt.

They will find a circuit that has spent the better part of three years tearing itself apart and putting itself back together, and doing so without missing a single race.