Hungaroring Archives

F1 / Round 13: Highlights & Results of 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix

A new name was on pole position for F1 Round 13 – George Russell – and in his mirrors were two red Ferraris ready to outrun him to the first corner. But the young Mercedes-AMG F1 driver was ready and although Carlos Sainz was able to come up alongside as the cars moved off, Russell held on to his slight lead.

His team mate, Lewis Hamilton, starting from was able to slip past both on the first lap to move from seventh to fifth. The two Red Bulls also moved up two positions before the first turn. However, further back, there was an incident between Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and Williams Racing’s Alex Albon which brought out the F1 Virtual Safety Car (VSC) for a while. The moment the VSC was deactivated, Russell was able to take advantage of the lull to open up a gap with Sainz.

Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen had contact with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and the former’s car sustained damage to the front wing. It was severe enough that Magnussen got the black and orange flag which required him to return to the pits to fix the damage.

By lap 11, Verstappen was up to fifth and taking on Hamilton for the position. McLaren’s Lando Norris was just ahead but both drivers were able to get past him and continued their duel for the fourth place Norris was displaced from. However, Verstappen was heard to be asking questions about an issue with his car which was alarming him. 8 seconds ahead, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was shadowing his team mate who was looking for a way past leader Russell.

Cars were being called in and on lap 17, Russell came in for mediums but Sainz, though called in, did not do so right away and stayed in the lead that the Mercedes-AMG driver had given up. But on the next lap, Sainz came in and Leclerc took over the lead with Hamilton in second and Russell in third, both not within striking distance. Hamilton too would come in on lap 20 for a change of tyres. The forecast for rain was 60% at that point.

On lap 22, Leclerc finally came in, and Russell was back in the lead. When the Ferrari driver rejoined, he managed to slot in ahead of his team mate, which can’t have been a happy moment for Sainz. Leclerc was around 2 seconds behind Russell, while Sainz was 5 seconds and having to watch out for a hard-charging Verstappen. At the back of the top 10, Ricciardo had passed two cars to get back into the points.

On lap 28, Leclerc was close enough to challenge Russell in each corner but the British driver remained calm and held his lines. It took 3 laps for the Ferrari to pass and take the lead but Russell did not give that up easily either.

Leclerc didn’t waste time pulling away and left Russell to be dealt with by Sainz, who was getting closer. Verstappen was still a threat to Sainz but the Dutchman did not have to worry about Hamilton who was some distance behind.

As the 70-lap F1 race passed the halfway mark, all 20 cars were still running which was not always the case. Rain was also coming down lightly and could change things dramatically for the remainder of the race.

Scuderia Alphatauri’s Yuki Tsunoda spun at the chicane on lap 36, bringing out the yellow flags. But he was not immobilized and continued going but was in last place. Pirelli was expecting who went from medium to hard to probably do a one-stopper while everyone else would have to stop again.

Although he was within reach of Russell, Sainz had to go from attack to defence as Verstappen came up behind him. The second position would have to wait first while he held on to his third place. And then Sainz got a break when the Red Bull team called Verstappen in to put on mediums. When he rejoined, he was down to sixth behind his team mate, Sergio Perez. It was still drizzling and heavier rain was forecast by lap 62.

Leclerc gave up his lead on lap 40 to pit, and Russell followed him off the track as well, giving Sainz the lead. With the fresh tyres seemingly warmed up, Verstappen thought he was ready to fight and went flat out – and spun. He was able to recover quickly before Russell could take advantage and held on to his fourth place as he headed in pursuit of Leclerc, whom he passed on lap 45.

Hamilton took over the lead on lap 48 when Sainz came in to switch to soft tyres. It remained to be seen if that was the right move for Ferrari. With Red Bull pitting so early, they should have stayed out and put the soft tyres on later.

It was now Verstappen going after Hamilton in the lead, trying to close the gap of 6 seconds. Leclerc was 3 seconds behind the Dutchman with Russell in fourth and Sainz in fifth. On lap 51, it was Russell’s turn to try to displace Leclerc but the Ferrari driver was making it very difficult.

Hamilton rushed into the pits on lap 52 to get onto softs, rejoining in fifth between Sainz and Perez. Verstappen was now in his more familiar position at the front with a 6-second lead over Leclerc.

The F1 Stewards had finally decided on the Ricciardo – Stroll incident and it was deemed that the Aussie driver was at fault and he received a 5-second penalty.

Leclerc finally had to give way to Russell on lap 53 and the Mercedes-AMG driver took over second, with the 6-second gap behind Verstappen that wasn’t going to be easy to close. Having lost his position, Leclerc came in on lap 54 to get rid of the hard tyres and run on softs for the rest of the race. At that point, the top 5 were spaced many seconds apart and the order was likely to stay till the end. Barring unexpected incidents, the only battle for positions was likely to be between Russell and Sainz.

As 10 laps remained of the 13th F1 round, Verstappen looked comfortable in the lead and if rain came down, he could even benefit from it. It was an achievement coming into the lead from tenth at the start, and he did not have to worry about Russell being an immediate threat.

No more distractions for Hamilton as he pushed forward past Sainz and moved into third and a place on the podium right behind Russell. Now the question was whether Russell would let his team mate past but it did not seem to be so, although it would be Hamilton eventually finishing second. With two Mercedes-AMGs chasing him, Verstappen could not afford to make any mistakes – and also pray his car would not fail.

As 5 laps remained, rain slowly started coming down. At the end of the top 10, Vettel had managed to take over the last points-paying position from his team mate, Lancer Stroll.

And then on lap 68, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas went off on Turn 11 as his car lost all power. The yellow flags came out, followed by the VSC. It was active for just 1½ laps and then it was a rush to the finish. The rain was heavier and Verstappen was doing his best not to lose it. And he didn’t, taking the eighth chequered flag of the F1 season at Hungaroring.

F1 / Round 13: 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix Preview

Race starts at 3 pm in Hungary/9 pm in Malaysia

Just days after a dramatic race in France, the 2022 F1 World Championship is at the Hungaroring in Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix. This is the 37^th time the event has been held and it has been on the calendar every year since being added in 1986. All of the F1 races in Hungary have been held at the Hungaroring; Monza in Italy is the only track with a longer run of consecutive Grands Prix.

It’s therefore a familiar circuit and engineers who have prepared for the hot and dusty environment. The air and track temperatures experienced at the Hungarian F1 Grand Prix are typically some of the highest of the season, with an average air temperature of 30°C and average track temperature of 49°C. In fact, during practice last year, the temperature was seen to reach nearly 60°C.!

But with climate change, unexpected weather can also occur. On the past two occasions, it’s actually rained just before the race – and this year. rain came down during final practices. Last year, that led to a somewhat surreal re-start following a first corner incident. “We’ve seen some surprises at the Hungaroring before, and that could be the case even more this year,” predicts Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Motorsport Director.

The Hungaroring circuit has 14 turns running around a valley. It is twisty and bumpy, giving a ‘street circuit’ feel like that of Monaco (or rather ‘Monaco without walls’, as some describe it). It was resurfaced several years ago, and most of the bumps were flattened out. However, the track surface is gradually starting to show its age and the irregularities are forming again.

Six of the 14 turns are left-handers and 8 are to the right. Many of these corners are combined, making good directional changes more important. The straights are relatively short and taking the corners at the right speed is crucial. Consequently, the standard setup for Hungary includes maximum downforce.

Due to its nature as a high-downforce track, the Hungaroring has one of the lowest top speeds of the season so far: 308 km/h. The F1 cars only go straight for about 10 seconds during the course of a fast lap, spending the remaining 65 seconds or so cornering. Only 65% of the lap distance of 4.381 kms will be taken at full throttle – one of the lowest ratios in Formula One.

The kerbs in the final corner can be very aggressive, and the same applies to the exit of Turn 11. However, unlike on faster tracks such as Spielberg, the kerbs in Hungary are driven over at lower speeds (but keeping within track limits, of course). The chicane (Turns 7 and 8), on the other hand, can prove problematic, especially in the wet, and take the drivers by surprise.

The twisty track makes it seem like a big go-kart circuit and this affects the average lap speed which is below 205 km/h throughout the race, but can increase to 214 km/h during the qualifying rounds. On each lap at the Hungaroring, the drivers use their brakes 11 times for a total of 14.3 seconds per lap which amounts to 19% of the duration of the race.

The hardest on the brake system is going into Turn 1: to go from 321 km/h to 95 km/h, the drivers have to brake for 2.43 seconds with a load of 142 kgs on the brake pedal, during which they are subjected to 4.6 G deceleration. In that length of time, the F1 cars cover a distance of 118 metres.

“In the past, the Hungaroring has been known as a place where it’s difficult to overtake, but the new package of cars and tyres this year helps drivers get much closer to each other, which is why we have seen some great races with plenty of overtaking so far this season. Hopefully, that’s going to be the case at the Hungaroring as well; a tight and twisty track where the cars are often grouped together,” said Pirelli’s Isola.

Max Verstappen’s victory in France, combined with a disappointing DNF for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and fourth place for Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, gives the defending World Champion a healthy lead in the Drivers’ Championship. He is 63 points ahead of Leclerc and a further 7 points beyond Perez. Red Bull, meanwhile, pull ahead in the Constructors’ Championship and now lead Ferrari 396-314. And the Italian team is now seeing a resurgent Mercedes-AMG just 44 points behind.

A bit of history: the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix was the first race in F1 history to be won by a hybrid car. Back then, using the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) was optional and the opening races were won by cars with conventional engines. However, Mercedes-AMG had developed a hybrid system run by McLaren-Mercedes in 2009. So, when Lewis Hamilton won the event that year, it was the first ever victory for a hybrid F1 racing car.

Over its long history, Lewis Hamilton has been the most successful driver at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with 8 victories – twice the number of Michael Schumacher, who is the next driver on the list. McLaren has had 11 victories at the Hungaroring, the most of any team.

Sebastian Vettel has announced his retirement from Formula 1 at the end of this season. Since entering F1 in 2007, the German driver, now 35 years old, has won 53 races and with 4 world championship titles, he is beaten by only Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio. Now with the Aston Martin ARAMCO COGNIZANT Racing Team, Vettel has previously raced with BMW Sauber (2006–2007), Toro Rosso (2007–2008), Red Bull (2009–2014), and Ferrari (2015–2020).

F1: Vettel disqualified, Hamilton moves to second in Hungarian GP

The celebrations for the Aston Martin COGNIZANT F1 team were cut short after the Hungarian Grand Prix yesterday when Sebastian Vettel lost his second placing due to disqualification. The team had been unable to provide a full sample of 1 litre of fuel from the AMR21 racing car for inspection, as required by FIA regulations.

Cars are inspected before as well as after each race to ensure that they fully comply with the regulations and even the drivers are weighed. In Vettel’s case, the team could only provide 0.3 litres although it said that it was sure there was more in the fuel tank but could not be extracted. They were given some time to resolve the matter but after 5 hours, the Stewards made the decision to disqualify Vettel. The Aston Martin team will review the matter and may make an appeal.

*A short-lived celebration for the Aston Martin COGNIZANT team.*

His disqualification moved Lewis Hamilton to runner-up position, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz gained third place. This puts the Mercedes-AMG driver back on top of the championship race with 8 points ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen who finished tenth but moved up to ninth with Vettel’s disqualification. The Mercedes-AMG driver gets enough points to take him past Verstappen and lead the championship.

Hamilton suffering from ‘long COVID’?
Hamilton was seen to be unwell at the trophy presentation ceremony and when asked about his condition later, he revealed that he has been facing a challenge in training after a COVID-19 infection last year. He could be suffering from what is known as ‘long COVID’ which refers to the continued effects a person experiences after recovering. These effects could go on for many weeks and there are some people who still suffer after a year. Hamilton said that he felt a lot of fatigue but was not sure if it was due to dehydration at the track as temperatures were high and he had a strenuous race, having had to fight from 14^th place to finish 3^rd overall.

Even after you recover from COVID-19 infection, your quality of life may be affected and you may suffer for a long period after that. So do your best to avoid being infected by taking the necessary measures to protect yourself as well as others – and get vaccinated.

F1/Round 11: Highlights & Provisional Results For 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix

Rain had already started to come down before the cars began to get into position, with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas at the front of two Red Bulls. The weather forecast was for up to 30 minutes of rain, which suited the two title rivals fine as they like such conditions.

Hamilton got a good start and as his team mate was slow to get off, Max Verstappen shot past him into second. But then came another incident as Lando Norris (McLaren) got bumped by Bottas who must have been too eager to get going, and Norris hit Verstappen before the first corner. The other Red Bull driver, Sergio Perez also went off as Bottas slid into him.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc got bumped by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, which ended his race, while Daniel Ricciardo was a helpless victim of the collision. Meanwhile, Alfa Romeo ORLEN’s Antonio Giovinazzi had slipped into the pits as the race started to take a gamble on different tyres. However, he was at the back of the pack when he joined the race and 25 seconds behind the leader as the Safety Car zoomed to the front.

When the situation became clearer, at least 4 cars were potentially out of the race as the red flags came out by the third lap, and the race had to be stopped. The Safety Car was in motion while the debris was cleared and the immobile cars removed. Hamilton had managed to escape the collisions, along with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel.

The Red Bull team was obviously very unhappy – after Silverstone, another incident again, this time with Bottas and Perez (who suggested the Finn had made a ‘big mistake’). Verstappen’s car was fixed in time but he had a lot of work ahead of him as he was in 13th place when the race was stopped.

The race resumed after 15 minutes but only Hamilton seemed to start off as the rest of the cars were in the pits. He returned to change the tyres and when he rejoined on lap 5, he was at the back and Ocon was at the front – a rare instance of an Alpine leading the rest. The early drama had continued in the pits as well, with Nikita Mazepin (Haas) colliding with Kimi Raikkonen’s Alfa Romeo as the Finn suddenly came out of his box. The Russian driver was the sixth retirement of the Hungarian GP. Raikkonen’s team mate, Giovinazzi, got a 10-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane and it was likely that Raikkonen would also get a penalty.

Williams’ George Russell, holding seventh on lap 11, impressed with his spirit of teamwork as he told his team that if his own position had to be compromised, they should go ahead as it was more important for his team mate, Nicholas Latifi, to maintain his third position behind Vettel and Ocon.

Verstappen’s progress through the field was not easy and even to get past Haas’ Mick Schumacher was tricky and the two cars were seen to touch. Hamilton was just two places behind on the 15th lap but experiencing brake problems. It was an unusual race this time with drivers usually further back being up front and battling for the best positions with points.

Hamilton came in again on lap 19 to get onto hard tyres, a strategic move as the track was drying out by then. He only lost one position but was still some 50 seconds behind the leader and had at least 10 cars – including Verstappen’s – to pass before he reached Ocon. Verstappen came in on the next lap and dropped 2 places behind his arch-rival. Ocon had come in before Vettel and was able to do his tyre-change in 2.3 seconds and kept his lead.

The battles up front were between Ocon and Vettel, and about 16 seconds behind, between Latifi and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. Latifi and Sainz came into the pits on the same lap and the Ferrari raced back out to grab third place, as Latifi lost 4 places. Now it was Sainz who had to defend his position from another Alpine driven by Fernando Alonso.

Halfway through the 70-lap race, Ocon and Vettel were still up front, separated by a second or two. Alonso had passed Sainz and was in a fairly secure position with generous gaps in front and behind. Hamilton had moved up to fifth and was pushing harder than ever.

Vettel came in on lap 37 and lost just one position, giving Alonso the second place. Hamilton was still busy duelling with Sainz to get within range of Alonso. Verstappen, down in twelfth and over a minute from the leader was still unable to move into a points position. On lap 43, he made his fifth visit of the race to the Red Bull pits to switch to medium tyres. His stop took an incredible 1.8 seconds – the fastest pit stop this season.

On lap 45, Sainz was still under attack from Hamilton and thought that the Mercedes-AMG driver would go back into the pits again. However, Hamilton decided his tyres were still good enough and did not allow the Ferrari driver to get any relief.

As 10 laps remained, an announcement was made concerning the Stewards’ findings on the first lap incidents and Bottas was deemed to have been responsible for “causing an avoidable collision in Turn 1”. The penalty for him was a drop of 5 positions on the starting grid for the next race in Belgium as well as 2 penalty points.

While Alonso was trying hard to prevent Hamilton from getting past, Verstappen had managed to finally overtake McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and get back into a points position at tenth. Less than 10 laps remained so he would only be able to improve his position another one or two places, the only Red Bull driver to bring home some points this time.

As the lap counter got closer to the 70th lap, Hamilton got more desperate to pass Alonso, with at least one instance of contact between cars. Vettel was not under threat from Sainz who was 7 seconds behind so he was focussed on trying to get his first win with Aston Martin.

Despite being a 2-time world champion, Alonso must have let the pressure get to him as he locked up and Hamilton immediately slotted into fourth place on lap 65. The Spaniard had also been having a tough time with his older tyres.

And it was Esteban Ocon’s day as he won the Hungarian Grand Prix, his first ever F1 win too. Vettel also had reason for a celebration in the Aston Martin camp as he finished second, and Hamilton coming in third. However, in spite of the speed of the Mercedes-AMG, it was Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri’s Honda who got a bonus point for the fastest lap of the day. In the Williams camp too, there was jubilation as both Latifi and Russell finished within the top ten to give the team their first points of the season.

Even after you recover from COVID-19 infection, your quality of life may be affected and you could suffer for a long period after that. So do your best to avoid being infected by taking the necessary measures to protect yourself as well as others – and get vaccinated as well.

F1/Round 11: Preview & Starting Grid For 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix

Race starts at 3 pm in Hungary/9 pm in Malaysia

Round 11 of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship at Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary, will be the last round in the first half of the championship. It is a familiar circuit to the teams as it has been part of the calendar since 1986, so there’s a lot of data to refer to from 35 races with different weather conditions.

After the high speeds and flat expanses of Silverstone, the twists and turns of Hungaroring present the drivers with a different challenge. Featuring flowing sections of closely linked corners, the tight 4.4-km layout provides a good test of car balance. With aerodynamic stability accented, the engineers will set downforce levels similar to those applied at Monaco.

In contrast to the sweeping and fast corners of Silverstone, Hungaroring feels almost like a kart circuit: the track is narrow, old-school, and has a non-stop series of corners. Overtaking is tricky, and this is an important factor when planning the race strategy, as track position is key.

Past races here have seen a number of different strategies. Last year, the wet and intermediate tyres were run at the start of the race because of rain but before then, in 2019, both one-stop and two-stop strategies were used, with a two-stopper from Lewis Hamilton winning the race in a thrilling finale.

There are tight corners in quick succession, with no long straights to cool down the tyres, and hot weather. This makes the Hungaroring actually more demanding on tyres than it initially seems, so some degree of management is likely to be needed on the soft compound in particular.

“As a result, the best strategy is not always obvious – with different approaches often yielding a similar overall race time, depending on the individual circumstances. That’s why we’ve often seen some tactically intriguing races at the Hungaroring, keeping the final result in doubt right up to the end and providing an interesting challenge for the engineers,” said Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Head of F1 and Car Racing.

The summer temperatures are also high, plus the fact that the circuit is situated within a natural amphitheatre, so there’s very little airflow. This makes the Hungarian Grand Prix hard work for both the cars and the drivers.

Pirelli’s Isola said that this week some of the hottest track temperatures ever, causing thermal degradation. “However, it’s far from certain that the weather will remain the same, with a forecast of rain at some point adding yet another unpredictable element to what is always a strategically complex race,” he said.

The controversial clash on the opening lap at Silverstone between championship leader Max Verstappen and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton saw the latter’s eventual victory. This closed the gap that had been widening between the two drivers and as they start this round, 8 points separate them. Lando Norris, also from Britain, lies in third but 64 points behind.

Besides damage to the racing car that was said to cost 1.5 million euros (about RM7.512 million) to repair, Red Bull Racing took home just 3 points after the last round, while Mercedes-AMG collected 43 points. This means that the defending champions cut the difference from 44 points before Round 10. to just 4 points before the start of this Sunday’s race.

F1 (Round 3): Results and Highlights of the 2020 Formula 1 Aramco Hungarian Grand Prix

♦ 25 minutes before the race was to start, Max Verstappen slid into a barrier at the tricky Turn 12! The RB16’s nose cone and front wing were damaged and he rushed back to the pits for repairs, which were completed in time for the race start.

♦ As the track seemed to be drying out after earlier rain, the two Haas cars rushed to their pits as the race started to switch to medium tyres. It was the right move as they would move up to fourth and fifth places by the seventh lap.

♦ On lap 4, Verstappen (who had started from seventh on the grid) took the lead from Lewis Hamilton who had come into the pits to switch to slicks. But it was only a 1-lap lead as he too had to pit to get off the intermediate tyres and Hamilton slotted back to the front.

♦ Bad luck for Williams’ Nicholas Latifi who spun in the first turn and then had a puncture a few laps later, forcing him to limp back to the pits. And after replacing the tyre, his release from the pits was considered unsafe by the Stewards and he got a 5-second penalty.

♦ If it wasn’t already bad enough that Kimi Raikkonen qualified in last position on the starting grid, he would be slapped with a 7-second penalty for his car being out of position on the grid.

♦ Pierre Gasly got a new Honda unit for his car but wasn’t penalised as he is still within his limit for the season. However, by lap 16, he had to pull out of the race as the engine started smoking. During practice, he had reported a burning smell which was why the engine was replaced.

♦ Charles Leclerc was the last to get off the soft tyres he had started with when it seemed like the rain expected by lap 23 might not arrive. He went on hard tyres which he hoped would take his Ferrari to the end.

♦ Sebastian Vettel, wanting to move ahead as much as possible, pitted on lap 30 to change to hard tyres. It was a risky move with most forecasters saying rain was due within the next few laps.

F1 tyres — *Tyre changes were required a few times during the race as the weather alternated between dry and possible rain and then no rain.*

♦ The first drops of rain came down at the halfway point of the race (35 laps). By then, Hamilton was comfortably ahead with a 20-second lead. Behind him was Verstappen and then Valtteri Bottas 5 seconds away.

♦ 20 laps before the end, Bottas came in for a change to hard tyres to give him more speed in the duel with Verstappen.

♦ 5 laps from the end, the Mercedes-AMG team debated whether to switch Hamilton’s tyres to hard but the driver wanted softs. His choice was followed and when he rejoined the race, he had 3 laps to go for a fastest lap as he headed to the finish line. He did that and was in line to collect the extra virtual point.

♦ Today’s win puts Hamilton equal with Michael Schumacher of having the most wins at a race. It is eighth win in Hungary, and the third year in a row.

*Sebastian Vettel finished 6th to collect 8 points for Ferrari but Leclerc managed only 11th. Not exactly a great race for the team again.*

Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing — *Despite crashing even before the raced started, Max Verstappen finished the race in second place, 8 seconds behind Hamilton.*

Pierre Gasly had engine problems all week and, during the race, had to retire when smoke started to come out of the engine.

Nicholas Latifi Williams — *A bad day for Nicholas Latifi with two spins and a 5-second penalty as well. When the race ended, he was 5 laps behind Hamilton.*

F1 (Round 3): Preview and Starting Grid of the 2020 Formula 1 Aramco Hungarian Grand Prix

Race starts at 3:10 pm in Hungary/9:10 pm in Malaysia

After two weekends at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, the F1 teams travelled 420 kms to the next venue on the calendar, Hungaroring in Hungary. The 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix (which has the official event title of 2020 Formula 1 Aramco Magyar Nagydij) is the third round of the championship.

The authorities are very strict on the conditions of allowing the race to be run. These include staying within the circuit or at their respective hotels and not socialising; breaking the rules can result in a fine of 15,000 euros (about RM73,000) and/or jail time. Both Ferrari drivers were reported to have broken the rules and the team boss has warned them that they cannot be irresponsible and jeopardise the team.

A regular venue
The circuit is a familiar one to the drivers, having been used over the past 34 years. As such, they will be prepared for the hot and dusty environment, more so with the pandemic-related lockdowns further keeping the circuit unused. The air and track temperatures experienced at the Hungarian Grand Prix are typically some of the highest of the season, with an average air temperature of 30°C and average track temperature of 49°C.

The current Hungaroring circuit uses the third layout since 1986 and has 14 turns. Running around a valley, it is twisty and bumpy, giving a ‘street circuit’ feel like that of Monaco. Rain can add to the challenges and it has during practice sessions this week. With the revised 2020 schedule and the circuit’s relentless run of corners, the Hungaroring looks set to be the highest downforce track on the calendar.

Constant cornering
Because of the track’s high-downforce nature, its maximum speed – 318 km/h – is one of the lowest in F1. The cars only spend around 10 seconds going in a straight line during a 4.4-km lap, with the remaining 65 seconds or so spent cornering. As such, the Hungaroring is known for its constant cornering.

Despite the Hungaroring having one of the shortest start/finish straights, the track has the fifth-longest run to Turn 1 from pole position – due to the grid being positioned very close to the exit of the final corner.

The circuit is one of the toughest for brake cooling, in part due to the lack of straights, often made worse by cars being stuck in traffic. Just 65% of the lap distance at the Hungaroring is taken at full throttle, one of the lowest figures in F1.

The average lateral g-force experienced during the course of the lap is one of the highest in F1, due to the grip levels from the new tarmac, long corners, lack of straights and high downforce levels. Drivers report that the kerbs are some of the most severe in F1 for the cars. The spacing, height and speed at which drivers go over kerbs are all important factors. While the kerbs in Hungary are harsh, they are generally taken at slower speeds than in Red Bull Ring.

The track features many long corners, some of which are 180 degrees or more, which impacts the suspension set-up. The majority of corners in Hungary are taken in ‘steady state’, which is where the length of the corner allows the car to settle and stay in a rolled condition for a long period of time. A ‘transient state’ means the opposite and is seen in corners requiring quick changes of direction. For this weekend’s race, ‘steady state’ is more important and the suspension can be tuned to be better suited to this.

A place in F1 history
The 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix was the first race in F1 history to be won by a hybrid car. Back then, using the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) was optional and the opening races were won by cars with conventional engines. However, Mercedes-AMG had developed a hybrid system run by McLaren-Mercedes in 2009. So, when Lewis Hamilton won the event that year, it was the first ever victory for a hybrid Formula 1 car.

Hamilton has won the Hungarian Grand Prix 7 times, making it his joint-most successful track – shared with the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. Commenting on his experience this weekend during practices, Hamilton said: “This is such a great track to drive in the dry, but it’s very tricky in the wet and it felt quite low grip out there. It’s not such a power-dependent circuit. I’m hoping for a tighter pack, it’d be great to see the Renaults doing well, the McLarens are doing a fantastic job, as are the Racing Points, it’s really exciting to see. We also expect Red Bull to be strong, so I anticipate a tough battle with them.”

The championship so far
Valtteri Bottas is in top spot after two rounds with 43 points, 6 points ahead of Hamilton. Lando Norris is in third with 26 points while Charles Leclerc, in spite of the fiasco last Sunday, is in fourth with the 18 points collected for his win in the first round.

As for the Constructors Championship, the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team has already built up a 41-point lead ahead of McLaren. BWT Racing Point F1 Team is in fourth and will be closely watched as it tries to pass Red Bull Racing which is 5 points ahead.

F1 (Round 12) – 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix Starting Grid

Race starts at 3:10 pm in Hungary/9:10 pm in Malaysia

♦ Max Verstappen will start from pole position with Valtteri Bottas alongside. It’s the first F1 pole position for the 21-year old Aston Martin Red Bull Racing driver.

♦ The 4.38-km circuit is often referred to as ‘Monaco without walls’ because of the tight and twisting layout. This is not good for the Ferraris as their downforce is not as strong as the leading rivals.

♦ Improved aerodynamics on the Williams cars have helped George Russell perform better. This is especially important on the Hungaroring circuit’s flowing sequences of slow and medium-speed corners and frequent changes of direction. The teams are using the highest levels of downforce seen all year at a purpose-built track to Hungary.

♦ The Ferrari team is concerned about tyres. The circuit layout also places relatively high lateral loads on tyres and that, allied to often high track temperatures, means that rubber is put under some stress. Sebastian Vettel expects it to be a very difficult race today in terms of tyre management and given the characteristics of the car.

♦ This will be the last round before the teams take a summer break. The next race will be in Belgium on September 1.

♦ As the team managers enjoy their holiday break, they will also be thinking about the driver line-up for 2020. Although there are rumours of Verstappen moving to Mercedes-AMG, this is unlikely to happen and the team’s boss will be looking at retaining Bottas or letting current reserve driver Esteban Ocon partner Lewis Hamilton.

Piston.my

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