Amid a desert of street circuits, a rare oasis of a newly built traditional circuit appears – all 4.1km/2.5 miles and 16 corners of it. Four years in the making, Balaton Park Circuit is a proper, old-school track, nestled close to its namesake Lake Balaton, the largest in Central Europe.
Constructed by a group led by one-time Formula 1 practice runner Chanoch Nissany, the circuit and surrounding complex has received a €200 million investment in a bid to draw both motorsport and tourism to the area. Built to FIA Grade 1 specification (though it will initially apply for Grade 2), the track hopes to host international racing from the 2024 season, and will initially focus its attention on sportscar competition and junior single-seater categories. There are also hopes to create an international racing academy for young drivers.
It is an imposing complex, its concrete structure looming into view amid the Hungarian countryside, and has permanent seating for 10,000 fans, with the capacity to increase that to 120,000 with temporary grandstands. A luxury hotel has also been built nearby, with plenty of others already in the vicinity given the area’s summertime lure for Budapest residents.
Its nearest competitor is the Hungaroring, just over an hour away on the other side of the capital city. An F1 mainstay that has hosted the Hungarian Grand Prix since its construction in 1986, the current venue’s contract runs until 2027. Organisers are thought to be eyeing another long-term extension after that.
Though board member Gianpaolo Matteucci is coy about Balaton Park hosting F1, insisting that is not its “main objective,” he emphasised its readiness to host “any kind of international event, and this is the main reason why we wanted to create an infrastructure already for Formula 1, which is FIA Grade 1”.
He continued: “Everything has been done under the highest safety regulations for the FIA and also FIM. Formula 1 has been at the Hungaroring for many, many years, and will be there for the future. On our side, we are ready for any kind of motorsport event.”
With that said, let’s take a look at the circuit itself. Having enjoyed a few trips out in Porsches (a 718 Spyder, a Panamera and a very tidy 911 Turbo S), Autosport’s first opportunity to experience the circuit at speed comes courtesy of a familiar face – three-time GP winner Giancarlo Fisichella.
Having already been out for a spin the previous day, Fisichella said he was “impressed by [the circuit’s] character”, adding that it “really has it all” and is “a treat to drive”.
“It’s always nice to discover a new circuit and it was an honour for me to be the first going out in this very nice circuit,” he said. “If you asked me if there was a special place I liked, I couldn’t tell you, because I enjoyed every corner.”
Even though the anticlockwise track isn’t entirely dry, the man who was team-mate to Fernando Alonso during his glory years at Renault has only good things to say about it as he sweeps through each of the corners – six right and 10 left-hand. The Italian is driving a Ferrari, naturally.
Heading into the Turn 1 hairpin presents an opportunity for overtaking. There’s another hairpin following shortly after, albeit a more open one requiring a smooth exit. Fisichella says Turn 4 requires more tact, with a tricky bit of braking heading into the corner while fighting oversteer. Turn 4 opens up onto the back straight, where the former Ferrari test driver had reached 220km/h (around 135mph) the previous day, adding “maybe with a Formula 1 car even 300km/h”.
Balaton Park is a fantastic track, marking a refreshing departure from the street circuits that have become all too commonplace on the modern F1 calendar
Another hairpin and chicane follow before the difficult, high-speed Turn 7, and then another chicane. Approaching Turn 10, it’s important to follow a V-shaped line, before Turn 11, which Fisichella says is “impossible” to take at full pelt in the damp conditions – though he seems to give it a good go!
Approaching the last part of the circuit, another hairpin lies ahead, before the left-hand corners of Turns 13 and 14 and finally, the most important sequence at Turns 15 and 16. We then cut into the pitlane before reaching the start/finish straight. It’s a thrilling ride alongside the two-time Le Mans 24 Hours class winner, who insisted it was even better in the dry.
With Balaton Park already open for bookings for the 2024 season, the circuit hopes to attract both two- and four-wheeled racing, with the likes of ACCR Czech Formula 4 already looking to run rounds there. With circuits in short supply across mainland Europe, new facilities like this are vital to smaller championships, which face soaring costs.
Balaton Park is a fantastic track, marking a refreshing departure from the street circuits that have become all too commonplace on the modern F1 calendar. Of course, there is a time and a place for twisting, inner-city tracks, but they should be an exception, not the rule – especially as F1 cars become ever larger.
Despite the board’s insistence that F1 is not its objective, the series could do far worse than to consider Balaton Park for its calendar in the future.
