Blazing Budapest: King first, Klein flies, Ten Voorde caught in traffic.

Umbrellas are a must-have at any race event – they come in handy in all weathers. While they shielded against the British rain in Silverstone, in Hungary, they were prized for providing shade. With temperatures soaring to around 35°C and even hotter tarmac, anything offering refreshment was welcome. That included clear directives from race control to cool down the emotions of drivers and teams after some eventful sessions. The top priority in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is thrilling motorsport – but always within the bounds of fair play. Recent modifications to the track, such as new gravel traps, were designed to prevent track limit violations in the numerous corners of the Hungaroring. Yet, the stewards still had plenty to do. It’s understandable, given that in sprint races like the Porsche Supercup, every thousandth of a second counts – for example, in qualifying, just 32 thousandths separated the top two. The drivers have to push the limits, and they did just that in Budapest.

Practice and qualifying under Budapest’s blistering sun.

The race weekend at the Hungaroring kicked off under extreme heat. Before Friday evening’s Practice Session, the asphalt was already baking at over 50°C. Unsurprisingly, most of the hundred thousand fans at the track had already retreated to the bars and restaurants of nearby Budapest. Nevertheless, the tension on the track was palpable – especially for Loek Hartog (NLD), making his Supercup return after a year. Some drivers initially struggled to find the ideal racing line, leading to spins, lock-ups, and trips into the gravel. Harry King (GBR) set the pace early in practice, but as the session progressed, others closed the gap, with Dutch drivers Larry ten Voorde and Robert de Haan, and at one point South African Keagan Masters, surpassing the Briton. De Haan eventually topped the timesheets, followed by Ten Voorde and King.

Saturday’s Qualifying Session saw the sun blazing high, though some cloud cover provided a bit of relief. Perfect racing conditions allowed everyone to push for top times, especially on the second set of tyres. The final quarter of the session, as usual, became frenetic, with several lap times deleted for track limit violations. The big surprise of qualifying was Larry ten Voorde, who could only manage 11th on the grid – certainly not what the two-time Supercup champion had hoped for. Pole went to Marvin Klein (FRA), followed by King and Haverkort. However, Klein and De Haan were both penalised for impeding rivals on their hot laps, dropping them to P4 and P7, respectively, for the race.

Out front: A lights-to-flag victory. Behind: Fierce battles for position.

In Sunday’s race, under a sunny sky, King capitalised on his unexpected pole and pulled away from the pack in the opening laps. He eventually crossed the finish line over 6 seconds ahead of his closest rival, Marvin Klein. The Frenchman had to first fight his way past the Dutch duo from UNISERVER by TEAM GP ELITE. Once clear, Klein gave it everything – but even his fastest lap of the race at 1:47.847 min. couldn’t change the outcome. King’s victory allowed him to gain valuable ground on championship leader Larry ten Voorde, reigniting the title race. His radio message to the team at the finish said it all: “What a mega race, the car was supreme!” While the front of the field may have been relatively calm, the rest of the pack was locked in fierce battles. Several drivers proved that overtaking in Budapest is more than possible. Marvin Klein passed rookie Kas Haverkort and Huub van Eijndhoven within three laps, with the Dutchmen finishing P3 and P4, respectively, after having fought a round-long duel between team-mates.

It wasn’t the only intra-team duel of the weekend. Keagan Masters and Lirim Zendeli (DEU) of Ombra Racing also clashed, after the German rookie made a brilliant start, moving up from 9th to 5th. Masters spent several laps trying to get past Zendeli before finally succeeding, but he still had to keep an eye on the next team pairing behind him: Alessandro Ghiretti (FRA) and Larry ten Voorde of Schumacher CLRT. The two teammates in their black-and-gold Porsche 911 GT3 Cup were evenly matched, so Ten Voorde didn’t challenge Ghiretti. But from lap 9 onwards, Ten Voorde had to defend vigorously against BWT Lechner Racing’s De Haan. The rookie left no stone unturned in his efforts to attack the championship leader. Understandably so: every point he could take from Ten Voorde would help his teammate King. However, De Haan’s aggressive style backfired, earning him multiple time penalties, including for exceeding track limits, dropping him out of the points to 18th place.

Larry ten Voorde managed to limit the loss of points after 16 laps of racing on the Hungaroring, finishing 7th. After four consecutive maximum points hauls in the previous races, he took 9 points and retained the championship lead. But King is now just 10 points behind him, and with his 2nd place finish in Budapest, Marvin Klein also closed the gap to the Dutchman. As we head to the Ardennes classic in Spa-Francorchamps in a few days, it’s clear that Ten Voorde’s march to the title won’t be as straightforward as it seemed. And matching Wolf Henzler’s long-standing record of consecutive wins will have to wait until next year.

The Hungaroring didn’t bring luck to all the rookies.

Kas Haverkort secured his first-ever Porsche Supercup podium with his 3rd place finish. He also extended his lead over his closest rival, Robert de Haan, in the Rookie Standings. Mathys Jaubert (FRA) finished 8th overall, taking the second Rookie Podium spot, ahead of Alexander Tauscher (DEU), who crossed the line in 10th. Lirim Zendeli, who was in a promising 5th place midway through the race, threw away a top-ten finish through his own mistakes and ended up 11th. Apart from Aldo Festante (ITA), who retired after an accident on lap 11, all other rookies brought their cars home. The race was a valuable learning experience for all the young drivers, who not only faced tough competition but also had to contend with the exceptionally high temperatures.

After the intense race through Hungary's maze of corners, the action continues next weekend. Round 6 takes place at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, during the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix. It offers a stark contrast to the tight Hungaroring – with a lap distance of nearly 7 kilometres. It also features the world-renowned Eau Rouge/Raidillon combination, where only the bravest drivers take it flat out, always wary of the sudden rain that can catch them off guard. Be part of us!

Gesamtwertung des Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup nach Lauf 5 in Budapest

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