With a distinct absence of high-speed corners and the expectation of hot summer temperatures, the Hungaroring is a unique and demanding challenge. And as Budapest beckons, the drivers and senior team members discuss their prospects for the race...
Jarno Trulli, Toyota2008 Qualifying - 9th, 2008 Race - 7th
"I enjoy visiting Budapest, and the Hungarian Grand Prix is an enjoyable one for me. The Hungaroring is a challenging track from a driver's perspective because it is very narrow with a lot of corners, even though it is quite a short lap. It might not be one of the fastest tracks on the calendar but it is actually good fun to drive, although you have to keep your concentration because you get punished badly by going off line. It is very close among several teams at the moment so it is difficult to predict what will happen in Hungary but if we can do a smooth weekend with no problems then we will be competitive. The last race weekend was very frustrating for me because we had a lot more performance than the result showed but we are all determined to make up for that with a good points finish in Hungary."
Timo Glock, Toyota
2008 Qualifying - 5th, 2008 Race - 2nd
"Obviously Hungary is a special race in my career after the podium there last season. That was the first of several strong points finishes for me and I hope another competitive weekend there can get the ball rolling again this year. I am in a positive mood and optimistic I can score again. It was disappointing to just miss the points at the last race, especially in front of my home fans, but I made up 11 places after starting from the pit lane so we have the potential to finish much higher. One of my targets this weekend will be to get a perfect lap in qualifying because that has been an issue in the last couple of races for various reasons. Lap times are really close this year so if you are a tenth or two off your maximum pace in qualifying you can drop a few positions and that makes life harder in the race. We'll be pushing as hard as possible and I am sure we will bounce back."
Pascal Vasselon, Toyota senior general manager chassis:
"We are looking forward with optimism to the Hungarian Grand Prix. Even though the Hungaroring is a low average speed circuit it consists mainly of medium-speed corners with very few really slow corners, but still you need plenty of downforce. The track is quite hard on brakes, which is demanding in terms of braking stability and cooling. Also, tyre grip and consistency management can be a challenge because the track surface and lay-out are very specific; it is low grip with high cornering severity. That created a risk that the hard specifications would struggle for grip while the soft specs could suffer severe graining but Bridgestone has reacted so we will use the soft and super soft tyre to avoid that situation. We are likely to face high ambient temperatures this weekend but the cooling efficiency of our car is very good so we can cope with these conditions without degrading the aerodynamic performance."
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
2008 Qualifying - 6th, 2008 Race - 3rd
“Traditionally this is some sort of a home race for us Finns, because there are so many fellow countrymen on the grandstands. I’ll show up with a new rear wing, which worked really well on Felipe’s car and there’s the possibility that we’ll have further modifications. The F60 should run pretty well at the Hungaroring with its many slow corners; furthermore the temperatures should be slightly higher than at the weekend in Germany: it would be great to gain another podium.”
Felipe Massa, Ferrari
2008 Qualifying - 3rd, 2008 Race - 17th
“I haven’t got very good results at this race but that doesn’t mean I don’t race well there: if you remember last year I had the win in my pocket, but then my engine unfortunately let me down with just two laps to go. It’s a nice circuit to drive even if it’s not really one of my favourites, but ask me how we will get on in this race and to be honest I really don’t know. I hope we can carry on making improvements to our package, carrying on in the same direction as in Germany.”
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Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2008 Qualifying - 1st, 2008 Race - 5th
“The Hungaroring is one of the most demanding circuits for drivers because you’re busy throughout the entire lap. It’s a bit like a kart circuit - there are lots of twists and turns and the only place to relax is along the start/finish straight, which is quite short. It’s also quite low-grip which makes overtaking particularly tricky. But I really enjoy the place - I won here in 2007 and was on pole last year. It’s a circuit that really rewards consistent, precise driving - push too hard and you tend to lose rather than gain time. Given the potential we showed in Germany last weekend, I’m hopeful of getting a result that demonstrates the improvement we’ve made over the past few weeks.”
Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren
2008 Qualifying - 2nd, 2008 Race - 1st
“Obviously, I won in Hungary in 2008 so it will be nice to come back to Budapest again. This race is likely to be won or lost in qualifying: you’ve got to be at the front and run an aggressive first stint if you are to succeed in the race. The track is also quite hard on tyres so you need to find a balance that will allow you to look after your rubber until the finish - the softer rubber, in particular, tends to suffer at the end of the race so you have to be careful. I’m really looking to running the team’s new upgrade package this weekend. I had a strong weekend at the Nurburgring and I didn’t let a single car past me in the race - with the improved car I’m really hopeful of getting another strong result at the Hungaroring.”
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
“While Lewis demonstrated during practice and qualifying at the Nurburgring that our upgrade package appears to provide us with a sizeable step forward in performance, it was frustrating that damage to the rear bodywork left us unable to fully ascertain that benefit in the race itself. For Budapest, both Lewis and Heikki will be equipped with the new package and we are hopeful that it will enable us to mount a more sustained attack towards the front of the field. The Hungaroring is a circuit where we as a team have enjoyed many successes in the past and we travel there this weekend hoping to provide concrete evidence that we’re decisively turning our fortunes around for the remainder of the season.”
Norbert Haug, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Vice-President
"The Grand Prix circuit just outside Budapest is, after Monaco, the one with the lowest average speed. The layout, consisting of more slower corners, where mechanical grip is especially important, should suit us quite well - as demonstrated already in Monaco. However, I currently would consider our technical performance still not good enough to repeat last year’s victory with Heikki - but in any case we at least have been in the lead for a few metres at the Nurburgring - until Lewis’s right-rear tyre was hit which caused a deflated tyre, damaging the underfloor - which prevented Lewis later from achieving good lap times. Everybody in the team is giving it their all to continue the upward trend with both cars.”
Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber
2008 Qualifying - 4th, 2008 Race - 8th
“Hungary is a very special Grand Prix for me. In 2006 I made my debut there, and there are always a lot of Polish fans as Budapest is quite close to Poland. Last year was amazing - it was like being in Poland. The Hungaroring is very special, tricky and physically demanding. Driving the main straight is the only time you can recover. Almost over the entire track you leave one corner and immediately approach the next. Beyond that, it is very hot in Hungary, which makes it demanding for the driver and the tyres. As a lot of corners are quite bumpy, the car’s balance will be another crucial factor.”
Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber
2008 Qualifying - 15th, 2008 Race - 10th
“I’m very fond of the Hungaroring. The track suits me and I also have some good memories of racing there and achieving good results in the past. It was in Hungary in 1999 that I secured an early championship title in Formula 3000, and in 2006 and 2007 I was on the podium for BMW Sauber. We can generally expect high air temperatures in Hungary. That doesn’t bother me from a physical point of view, although the races on this twisty circuit are always exhausting, and it could help us get the tyres into the temperature window to work well. One drawback in terms of grip, especially at the start of the weekend, is always the dust that blows onto the track from the surrounding landscape.”
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport director
“This year our team heads for the Hungarian Grand Prix with muted expectations. So far our car just hasn’t been fast enough for any top placings. We are nevertheless working flat-out on ongoing development of the F1.09 - for two reasons. This year’s new aerodynamic regulations will remain the same for next season. What we are learning from our present car will flow virtually 1:1 into the concept for the F1.10. Besides that, under the test ban in force, the race weekend offers the only chance to track-test new developments and components. It’s an opportunity that has to be utilised. Beyond that, we naturally want to prove to our fans and, not least, to ourselves that we are also capable of reversing a deficit.”
Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber head of engineering
“After Monaco, the Hungaroring has the second-lowest average speed of all the Formula One circuits. The mainly slow and medium-fast corners follow in quick succession and the start/finish straight is relatively short. Because dust continually blows onto the track, grip levels tend to be low at the beginning of each of the practice sessions, which can lead to understeer. For the car set-up the focus is primarily on the middle sector with its variety of corner combinations. Another factor that has to be taken into account is that the rear tyres come under heavy loads during the race. Air and track temperatures are traditionally very high in Hungary, which should favour the optimal use of tyres.”
Fernando Alonso, Renault
2008 Qualifying - 7th, 2008 Race - 4th
"The memories of my win in 2003 in Hungary are very special as it was also Renault's first victory since returning to Formula One and it gave the whole team a lot of motivation and self-belief. I always enjoy visiting Budapest as it's a beautiful city, the people are friendly and there is usually a relaxed atmosphere in the paddock as everybody is looking forward to their summer holidays. It's one of the slowest tracks of the season and you are almost constantly in a corner so the track is quite demanding mentally and physically, especially with the high temperatures. With so many low-speed corners you need a stable front end because if you understeer wide it will cost you a lot of time. Good traction and mechanical grip are also important to get a clean exit from the slow corners. Overtaking is really difficult and the only real opportunity is into turn one at the end of the main straight, so it's important that we maximise our performance in qualifying so we can start the race well inside the top ten.”
Nelson Piquet, Renault
2008 Qualifying - 10th, 2008 Race - 6th
“I enjoyed Hungary last year and it was probably one of my best races as I finished sixth. It's also a circuit where I won in GP2. Although there are no quick corners, it's a fun place to drive and the twisty layout makes it feel like a go-kart track. It's still quite challenging and you have to find the rhythm of the circuit and be accurate through the slow corners as the exit of one corner is the entry to the next. Any mistakes therefore cost you a lot of time. I should have the same upgrades as Fernando in Hungary and I think I can be more competitive. As always I will be aiming to qualify in the top ten and hopefully score some points in the race. Qualifying will be vital as it's so tough to overtake at the Hungaroring because the braking zones are small and it's very dirty offline, so it's important that we concentrate on getting the most from Saturday.”
Bob Bell, Renault technical director
“In Germany we only had the new updates on Fernando's car, but next weekend Nelson will have the same upgrades as Fernando. There will also be some more bodywork updates that should take us another step further forward. Hungary will also give us more time to optimise all the previous upgrades in terms of car set-up, so I expect to see further benefits coming from the upgrade package we introduced in Germany. The problems we have been experiencing with the car in the first half of the year have not been related to specific circuit characteristics and are more general as we were lacking a little bit of performance in all areas of the car. To some extent those deficiencies have been corrected by the recent upgrades and so there's no reason why we can't produce a similar level of performance in Hungary as we did in Germany. The Hungaroring is also a circuit Fernando enjoys and has always gone well at so I think he can be competitive again.”
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