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Formula One has to earn its short summer break by having back-to-back-races so this coming weekend the F1 circus would have travelled from Hockenheim straight away to Budapest where the Hungarian Grand Prix will be taking place, starting as early as this Friday.
If we look at the last four races Hungary is a different type of circuit again after Montreal with reasonably long straights and slow speed corners in Valencia, high speed corners in Silverstone, a mix in Hockenheim and mainly low and medium speed corners in Hungary.
It’s a fairly winding circuit which requires a high downforce level. You can get away with a slightly less aerodynamical efficient car there as well. It also requires a good mechanical grip, while there are some kerbs and some high and medium speed chicanes where the car needs to be stable.
After a somewhat difficult race for the Sauber squad, they head into this round hoping for a much stronger result....
“Budapest is one of my favourites because I achieved my first and – so far – only podium there. This was back in 2006 when I finished second. The city is extremely interesting and offers a lot. The architecture of the bridges, houses and castles is just beautiful,” said Pedro de la Rosa.
“When I was a test driver I used to go running along the river on Saturdays after qualifying. You can feel the history, but at the same time the city is very much alive. In a way it reminds me of Spain. I like to describe the track as the permanent version of the Monaco street circuit.”
“You need maximum downforce and a good car in slow corners, while efficiency is less important. It is a nice track but it is very hard on the drivers, especially when it is hot, which has quite often been the case at the race weekends. Perhaps it is not the best track for our car, but we have improved it a lot for slow corners and we have also proved if we finish races we can fight for points.” |
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