On a daily basis, 470 people are working on the site of the largest sports facility in the country.Continue reading
The “Road to Formula 1” project has been recently set up with the help of a broad partnership, with the aim of having a Hungarian driver in the premier class by 2029-2030, Mandiner reports.
Péter Zentai, the founder of Hilaris Hotels, is the ambassador and main sponsor of the project, which is backed by HUMDA, the Hungarian Mobility Development Agency, and the state. Vince Szalay-Bobrovniczky, Deputy State Secretary for Civil and Social Relations of the Prime Minister’s Office, promised to pay attention to this project, because he considers it a national issue that Hungary should have a Formula 1 driver, when the Hungarian Grand Prix has been on the world championship calendar for decades. “It is symbolic that we are announcing this project on the Day of Hungarian Culture,” he said, adding the he “could not wish for anything else on this day than that our dream of Formula 1 becomes a reality.”
As things stand, the 2022 Karting World Championship silver medalist, Ádám Hideg, and last year’s British Formula 4 rookie champion Martin Molnár are the most likely to make it to Formula 1 by 2029-2030. However, there are other Hungarian talents as well who have already achieved remarkable international results in their age group, such as Marcell Zsebő, Tamás Gender, Bennett Gáspár and Patrik Lipovics.
“We have not just started our work, but three or four years ago, and we are constantly monitoring and looking for talent. Our goal is to have a national strategic background behind the youngsters.
However, I think that requires more business and government support than we have at the moment. That is why we got involved in the Road to Formula 1 program. We have selected youngsters who have the mental, physical and other skills to reach a serious level and attract the interest of a better international team. I hope I am not shouting it out, but we are on the right track, as teams in F3 and F4 are already interested in our top drivers,” said Balázs Weingartner, President of HUMDA.
Baumgartner made his Formula One race debut at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix. He raced throughout the 2004 Formula One season, and after two near-misses, he managed to take Minardi’s first point in over two years by finishing eighth in the United States Grand Prix held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
He believes that this is a national issue in which social, economic and political players can also find their place.
At the same time, the aim is not only to get Hungarian young talents into the world of Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2 or Formula 1, but also to show their skills in the elite category of motorsport, the Superbike or Moto GP world championships. As is well known, both series will visit our country this year, more specifically the Balaton Park Circuit. Norbert Michelisz, World Touring Car Champion, and Gábor Talmácsi, World Moto GP 125cc World Champion in 2007, will help to ensure success.
Via Mandiner, Featured photo via Pixabay