Race
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup races on Hungaroring have been lucky turf for Harry King before. In 2023, the 23-year-old Englishman won from pole position. This time around, he underlined this with another unchallenged start-finish victory on the Grand Prix circuit near Budapest. “I came into the first three laps on full attack mode to build up a lead. Once that was done, I basically won the race on autopilot,” joked King after his first Supercup win of the season. “I had to grab may chance to reduce the gap to Larry ten Voorde in the overall standings.”
Championship leader ten Voorde was unsuccessful in joining the fight for the podium following his previous four consecutive victories: After an unlucky qualifying, he started the race from eleventh on the grid only. However, the Dutchman from the Schumacher CLRT team demonstrated his class further down the field, battling his way up to seventh place in the 16-lap race. Consequently, he retains his position at the top of the drivers’ standings. His lead over Harry King, however, has been reduced to ten points.
Marvin Klein also put in an impressive showing. The Frenchman was fastest in qualifying, only to have a penalty relegate him to the fourth grid spot. In the race, Klein as well as his teammate ten Voorde proved that contrary to popular belief, overtaking is possible at the Hungaroring. By the halfway mark, he had fought his way past Kas Haverkort and Huub van Eijndhoven, who had both started ahead of him. “My car was perfect today. Unfortunately, by the time I reached second place, Harry King was already too far ahead,” summarised Klein, who also set the fastest race lap and remains in third place in the standings. He, too, reduced the gap to championship leader ten Voorde.
Kas Haverkort took the defeat to Klein in his stride. “It didn’t take long to realise that Marvin was much faster than me today,” admitted the Dutchman, who switched from single-seater racing to the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. “Winning the Rookie classification was my priority anyway.” The 20-year-old implemented his game plan perfectly. He won the duel against teammate Huub van Eijndhoven for third place overall. With that, Haverkort climbed onto the Supercup overall podium for the first time.
South African Keagan Masters (Ombra) and Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti (Schumacher CLRT) from France crossed the finish line behind the two Uniserver by Team GP Elite drivers. In addition to Haverkort, Frenchman Mathys Jaubert (Martinet by Alméras) and German Alexander Tauscher (Proton Huber Competition) rounded out the top three rookies.
“Huge congratulations to Harry King on his first win of the season. With three races left on the calendar, only 23 points separate the top three in the overall standings – so the battle for the title remains thrilling. I’m also particularly pleased that with Kas Haverkort, another rookie finished on the podium. The Supercup rookies are delivering really strong performances this year,” commented Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
The Supercup teams will travel directly from Budapest to Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. The one-make cup will contest round six of the season on the time-honoured Formula 1 circuit in the Ardennes from 26 to 28 July 2024.
Result round 4 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Budapest (HU)
1. Harry King (UK/BWT Lechner Racing), 16 laps
2. Marvin Klein (F/Schumacher CLRT), +6.176 seconds
3. Kas Haverkort (NL/Uniserver by Team GP Elite), +7.413 seconds
4. Huub van Eijndhoven (NL/Uniserver by Team GP Elite), +8.068 seconds
5. Keagan Masters (I/Ombra), +14.703 seconds
6. Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti (F/Schumacher CLRT), +17.056 seconds
Overall standings Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (after 5 of 8 races)
1. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Schumacher CLRT), 109 points
2. Harry King (UK/BWT Lechner Racing), 99 points
3. Marvin Klein (F/Schumacher CLRT), 86 points
Full results and championship standings on the Porsche Motorsport Hub:
https://motorsports.porsche.com/international/en/category/mobil1supercup/
Qualifying
One year ago, Harry King won the Supercup race at the Hungaroring. The Englishman will tackle Sunday’s round five of this season (21 July 2024, 12:05 hrs CEST) from pole position. In qualifying on the Formula 1 circuit near Budapest, he outpaced Supercup newcomer Kas Haverkort at the wheel of team BWT Lechner’s Porsche 991 GT3 Cup. The Dutchman drives for Uniserver by Team GP Elite.
Marvin Klein set the fastest lap of the Supercup qualifying session. However, the Frenchman from Schumacher CLRT will not start from pole position: A post-qualifying penalty from the stewards relegated him back three positions on the grid. The race officials decided that Klein had impeded another competitor during his qualifying attempt.
Thus, pole position went to Harry King, the winner of last season’s Supercup race at the Hungaroring. Kas Haverkort, leader of the Rookie standings in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, will start the race alongside the current overall runner-up. The Dutchman celebrated a victory in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland on the Hungarian Grand Prix circuit four weeks ago. Dutchman Huub van Eijndhoven (Uniserver by Team GP Elite) and Klein will line up on the grid for Sunday’s Supercup race on the second row. The race takes place directly before the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix.
In contrast, Larry ten Voorde, this season’s most dominant driver so far with four consecutive wins, was bitterly disappointed. Driving for the Schumacher CLRT team, the Dutchman tackles the race from P11 only. The two-time Supercup champion’s fastest qualifying lap was deleted because of track limits.
Routine rescue training for emergencies
The compulsory programme for every round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup includes an extrication exercise. This serves to familiarise the emergency services at each racetrack with the unique features of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. “The first responders have to deal with a wide variety of racing cars, from Formula 1 cars to GT3 vehicles. With our extrication exercises, we ensure that our drivers receive the best possible care if needed,” explains Supercup Race Director Peter Roberts. Together with Prof. Dr. Frank Mayer, the permanent doctor for the one-make cup, Roberts challenges the local ‘Extrication Teams’ with two different scenarios.
In the first scenario, the aim is to rescue an unconscious driver from the cockpit as quickly as possible. “This is vital, for example, in case of a fire,” explains Prof. Dr. Mayer. In the second exercise, the rescue is simulated without time pressure, but with a suspected spinal injury to the driver. “Utmost attention is given to immobilise the driver’s head and spine to prevent any further injury,” continues Prof. Dr. Mayer.
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup has several technical details that make it easier for emergency services to access the driver in the latter scenario. For example, there is a 63 x 47 centimetre opening in the roof, the cover of which can be detached from the outside in a few simple steps. The driver’s helmet can be removed from above through this hatch, while simultaneously, an assistant in the driver’s door stabilises the head and applies a cervical collar. A so-called ‘Karnett Extrication Device’ is then slid between the seat and the driver’s back. The belt system on the rescue corset allows the driver’s upper body to be immobilised before he is lifted out of the cockpit.
To give the emergency services more space to work, the steering column in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup can be adjusted vertically and horizontally, also the steering wheel can be removed completely. Additional space can be created by the longitudinally adjustable seat and the rear side window, which can be removed within seconds. This offers the extrication team an additional opportunity to get close to the driver.
To mentally prepare the Supercup drivers for an extrication, a different driver is selected to take part in the exercise every race weekend. At the Hungaroring, it was Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti’s turn. “It’s a reassuring feeling to know that we’re in very good hands with the extrication team, regardless of the racetrack,” commented the 22-year-old Frenchman.
Starting Grid, Round 5 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Budapest (HU)
1. Harry King (UK/BWT Lechner Racing)
2. Kas Haverkort (NL/Uniserver by Team GP Elite)
3. Huub van Eijndhoven (NL/Uniserver by Team GP Elite)
4. Marvin Klein (F/Schumacher CLRT)
5. Keagan Masters (ZAF/Ombra)
6. Mathys Jaubert (F/Martinet by Alméras)
Preview
Larry ten Voorde appears relaxed. “I don’t focus so much on records,” says the self-assured 27-year-old Dutchman. “What counts to me is the championship. From that point of view, a victory at the Hungaroring would obviously be great.” The two-time Supercup champion leads the overall standings with a maximum score of 100 points. He claimed victory in Imola, Monaco, Spielberg and Silverstone at the wheel of French team Schumacher CLRT’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Winning every race in the first half of the season is a feat that no one else has achieved in the long history of the series.
With three second places and one fourth place so far, Harry King is the championship leader’s hottest rival. “Historically, the Hungaroring has always proven to be great turf for me, and I won the Supercup race there last season. I want to revive my championship chances in Budapest,” says the 23-year-old Englishman. He drives for the Austrian team BWT Lechner Racing.
King recently started feeling pressure from seasoned Supercup specialist Marvin Klein, Larry ten Voorde’s teammate at Schumacher CLRT. The 25-year-old from southern France finished second in the last Supercup race at Silverstone in the UK. He now sits just eight points behind King in the overall standings. Klein also won a race in the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland at the Hungaroring at the end of June. “I like technically demanding circuits. My first win in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is definitely my goal,” says Klein.
Kas Haverkort (Uniserver by Team GP Elite) also celebrated a victory in the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland a few weeks ago on the Formula 1 circuit near Budapest. The 20-year-old Dutchman currently leads the Rookie standings in the Supercup ahead of his compatriot Robert de Haan and German Theo Oeverhaus. Both drive for BWT Lechner Racing.
“The Hungaroring marks the start of the second half of the season for us. After the last race in the unusually cold and rainy Silverstone, the drivers and teams have midsummer temperatures to prepare for. I’m curious to see whether Larry ten Voorde can match Wolf Henzler’s old record or whether one of his rivals will beat him for the first time this year,” comments Oliver Schwab, Project Manager Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
Flagship project in the Supercup: eFuels with partner HIF Global
2024 marks the first year of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup running exclusively on predominantly fully synthetic eFuels for the first time. The raw fuel comes from the Haru Oni pilot plant in Chile, which is operated by HIF Global. This raw fuel is readied for use through a process known as blending. The final product enables the 911 GT3 Cup cars, which have a power output of around 375 kW (510 PS), to potentially run almost CO₂-neutrally. A second-generation bio-based, semi-synthetic fuel mixture was already used in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in the previous three years. Together with HIF Global, Porsche’s top one-make cup is set on taking the next step.
The Hungaroring
The first Grand Prix behind the so-called “Iron Curtain” took place on the track around 20 kilometres northeast of the Hungarian capital of Budapest in 1986. The today 4.381 kilometres long circuit is clearly visible from almost all spectator seats. The twisty course with very few straights makes overtaking difficult. Hence, a strong starting position is even more important here than on other circuits.
Fun fact: One of the five consecutive races won by record holder Wolf Henzler in the 2004 Supercup season was the race at the Hungaroring.
TV and internet coverage of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
The fifth race of the season over 16 laps takes off on Sunday (21 July) at 12:05 hrs CEST. The race will be available to view on the streaming service f1tv.formula1.com. Independently of the race weekends, fans and media representatives can also follow the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup on the social networks Instagram (@PorscheSupercup), Facebook (@PorscheSupercup) and X/Twitter (@PorscheSupercup and @PorscheRaces).
Overall standings Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (after 4 of 8 races)
1. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Schumacher CLRT), 100 points
2. Harry King (UK/BWT Lechner Racing), 74 points
3. Marvin Klein (F/Schumacher CLRT), 66 points
4. Keagan Masters (ZA/Ombra), 49 points
5. Kas Haverkort (NL/Uniserver by Team GP Elite), 46 points
Schedule Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Budapest/Hungary (all times CEST)
Friday, 19 July
18:35 – 19:20 hrs: Practice
Saturday, 20 July
11:20 – 11:50 hrs: Qualifying
Sunday, 21 July
12:05 hrs: Race (16 laps = 70.096 kilometres)
Complete entry list and further information on the Porsche Motorsport Hub:
https://motorsports.porsche.com/international/en/category/mobil1supercup/
Calendar Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2024
17 – 19 May: GP Emilia-Romagna, Imola (Italy)
23 – 26 May: GP Monaco, Monte-Carlo
28 – 30 June: GP Austria, Spielberg
5 – 7 July: GP Great Britain, Silverstone
19 – 21 July: GP Hungary, Budapest
26 – 28 July: GP Belgium, Spa-Francorchamps
23 – 25 August: GP Netherlands, Zandvoort
29 August – 1 September: GP Italy, Monza