BUDAPEST
Budapest is a beautiful old city that is split by the River Danube: the west-bank of the city is known as Buda, whilst the east-bank of the city is known as Pest. Budapest has stunning old buildings, with some of the most magnificent architecture to be found anywhere in Europe. It also has a rich cultural heritage. These two factors combined make it a favourite tourist destination.
The Hungaroring Formula 1 Circuit is located in Mogyorod, which is near Budapest. It was completed in 1985, and the first F1 race was held there in 1986. It was the first Formula 1 Grand Prix to be held behind the “Iron Curtain”; that is in a country that formally constituted part of the former U. S. S. R. (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). The views of the circuit are brilliant from almost anywhere at the track, as it was built in a natural valley.
Hungary is the 11th race of the season (not including Abu Dhabi – the season opener that was cancelled. There is still speculation that the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix may be moved to the end of the season, i.e. the last race on this year’s calendar).
TRACK STATS:
Length: 4.381 km’s
Turns: 16
Race Distance: 306.630 km’s (70 Laps)
Current Lap Record: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) (2004) 1:19:071
2010 Winner: Mark Webber (RBR-Renault)
RACE TIME
Qualifying: Sat… 30th July 2011
Race: Sun… 31st July 2011
WEATHER:
Saturday: 12/24
Sunday: 14/25
There is a small chance of light showers during Friday’s afternoon free practice session, but after that the conditions will warm up and the forecast is for a dry qualifying on Saturday and a dry race on Sunday.
TECHNICAL
The Hungaroring is a fast track: fast straights and fast corners. The cars will be carrying less rear wing than normal, which will have the desired effect of greater straight-line speed on the straights.
The track has 16 corners, the majority of theses being “right-handers”. The camber of the front wheels and the general balance of the cars will therefore be setup to favour the right-hand turns. From the long start/finish straight the cars will charge down to Turn 1, breaking from speeds in excess of 291km/h down to +-90km/h. The speeds reached on the other straights vary from +-281km/h, to +-250km/h, to +-270km/h. The highest “G” force that will be experienced by the drivers will be in the region of 3.6 “G’s”.
The teams will be hoping for warm weather conditions, as the Pirelli soft compound tyres, favoured for the extra grip that they bring, appear to operate better in warmer conditions. If it is a dry race, and all indications are that it will be, then you can expect to see the Pirelli soft compound tyres being used as the tyre of choice, with the “option” tyre being utilised at some stage in the race. Drivers and teams that can somehow manage the softer compound better, that is eke out the most life from their tyres, will have a distinct advantage.
In the last two races we have seen Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes take the fight to RBR-Renault with two great victories. The RBR-Renault team has dominated qualifying and pole position throughout the season, but this has not always translated into having the fastest “race pace”. Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes have both made significant improvements to their cars after the regulations were adjusted for the Silverstone Grand Prix. In real terms, this means that under racing conditions their speed is excellent. You can expect a very close race, with the top 3 teams (RBR-Renault, McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari) all fighting hard for the victory.
2011 – F1 CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVER STANDINGS:
- Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 216
- Mark Webber RBR-Renault 139
- Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 134
- Fernando Alonso Ferrari 130
- Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 109
- Felipe Massa Ferrari 62
- Nico Rosberg Mercedes 46
- Nick Heidfeld Renault 34
- Vitaly Petrov Renault 32
- Michael Schumacher Mercedes 32
2011 – F1 CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS:
- RBR-Renault 355
- McLaren-Mercedes 243
- Ferrari 192
- Mercedes 78
- Renault 66
- Sauber-Ferrari 35
- Force India-Mercedes 20
- STR-Ferrari 17
- Williams-Cosworth 4
- Lotus-Renault 0
SUMMARY
Fernando Alonso and Ferrari had a brilliant race to win the British F1 GP at Silverstone. Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes silenced his critics with a great victory at the Nurburgring in the German F1 GP. Sebastian Vettel of RBR-Renault still holds a comfortable lead at the top of the driver’s table, yet behind him the other teams are closing the gap; and at this halfway point in the season we can look forward to a second half of the season that will produce some very close racing.
After Hungary the drivers and teams will go on their summer holiday and enjoy a well earned approximately 3 week break. In my view Hungary will be a very closely contested race.
All that remains are 5 lights, and when the lights go out…
We are racing in Budapest!
Written by Mark Batchelder, Road and Race’s F1 Connoisseur
