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McLaren Hungarian Grand Prix Preview |
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Friday, 25 July 2008 |
The Hungarian Grand Prix has become a
staple on the Formula 1 calendar since its introduction to the world
championship in 1986. The first Eastern Bloc grand prix, the race is as
famous for its tight and twisting track configuration as its arid and
scorching climate - both of which conspire to create a uniquely
demanding event for teams and drivers alike.
Ayrton Senna has won at the Hungaroring for
McLaren on three occasions, in 1988, ’91 and ’92. More recently, Mika
Hakkinen (’99 and 2000) and Kimi Raikkonen (’05) have triumphed for
McLaren-Mercedes - much to the delight of the huge Finnish contingent,
who have made this race a home from home for many years. Lewis Hamilton
won the race from pole position last year.
The Budapest circuit has been modified from
its original configuration twice: in 1989, the tight hairpins following
Turn Two were ironed out; in 2003, the 180-degree first corner was
extensively re-profiled into a sharper hairpin to increase overtaking
opportunities. This weekend’s race will mark the 23rd running of the event.
Lewis Hamilton
Two wins in the last two grands prix and
now a return to the Hungaroring, where you won last year. Do you feel
confident ahead of this year’s race?
"I’m wary about making any strong
predictions; yes, we were strong in the last two races, but we
encountered difficulties in the two before that, so it’s impossible to
call it this weekend. All I can say is that our car feels fantastic at
the moment and I’m really enjoying driving it: it feels like you can
keep fine-tuning it to extract more performance from it, which is a
fantastic feeling for any racing driver."
The Hungaroring is quite a unique circuit - what makes it stands out?
"Hungary is very different from Germany;
Hockenheim is a track that allows you to slipstream and pass other
drivers fairly easily, the Hungaroring is the opposite of that.
Qualifying will be crucial, and strategy will also be important in
determining the optimum fuel-weight for the opening stint. It will be
hot and tiring too, so keeping your focus and concentration will be
vital. I don’t go into this weekend surfing any particular wave of
confidence: it’s such a different type of circuit that it’s difficult
for anybody to feel certain about their chances."
The last two victories have given your
championship hopes considerable momentum - are you now thinking about
driving consistently with an eye on the title?
"It’s easy to say that you’ll treat each
race with a certain amount of respect. But the reality is that I
haven’t changed my style: it seems to work for me and I enjoy pushing
hard to achieve a good result. That’s when I feel I am operating at my
maximum and it’s potentially dangerous to start thinking about changing
your approach at this point in the season. I’ll be honest: my approach
has served me fairly well so far and I’d need to give it some serious
thought before attempting to change it. Let’s just say it will be
business as usual in Hungary this weekend."
Heikki Kovalainen
What’s the secret to a good lap around the Hungaroring?
"It’s a circuit where you’ve got to make
the car work for you: it’s not a track where you can drag the laptime
out of the car, it’s more about working patiently with the set-up to
make your life easier on raceday. If you end up fighting the car, the
heat and the constantly twisting nature of the track mean you’ll be
exhausted by the end of the weekend. Like Canada, it’s also a place
that punishes you if you go offline. So driving well at the Hungaroring
is all about neatness and patience."
What’s your previous record in Hungary?
"It’s a circuit I enjoy. I’ve done a couple
of GP2 races here but my best performance was last year when I had one
of the best races of my F1 career. Okay, I finished only eighth, but I
was fighting with Rosberg for lap after lap, really pushing 100 per
cent all the way to the flag. It was one of those dices that never gets
shown on TV, but I felt proud and satisfied afterwards because I’d
pushed for the whole afternoon. This year, it would be nice if I could
reward the team with another strong result."
Martin Whitmarsh, CEO Formula 1, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
The drivers have described the MP4-23 as
being particularly well-balanced in high-speed corners, how do you
expect it to cope with the low-speed twists and turns of the
Hungaroring?
"The two circuits on the calendar that most
resemble the characteristics of the Hungaroring are, bizarrely,
Montreal, which is dusty and low-grip, and Monte Carlo, which requires
a high-downforce set-up to cope with the minimal straights and numerous
low-speed corners. And the reality is that we were reasonably
competitive at both those circuits. While it has been true to say that
one of the key strengths of our car is its pace in high-speed corners,
we’ve done a lot of work to the package to strengthen its weak spots.
At Silverstone, we were comfortable with our pace through the last
sector, and at Hockenheim, we were comfortably quickest through the
stadium section of the track, which is tight and reliant on good
mechanical grip. We won in Hungary last season and travel to Budapest
confident that we have strengthened the weaknesses of our package.
Nonetheless, we are fully prepared for a battle with our rivals, whom
we can never under-estimate."
Heikki proved rapid in practice and
qualifying in Great Britain and Germany but didn’t seem able to exploit
the car under him to the same extent during the race. Is the team
working to alleviate some of the handling problems he has encountered?
"Firstly, let’s not forget that Heikki is a
brilliant racing driver. His pass of Robert Kubica at Hockenheim
reminded anybody who needed reminding that he has all the speed and
skill to be battling at the front. But there’s no magic in Formula 1
and we still need to work with Heikki to extract his full potential. At
Hockenheim, he didn’t get the best out of himself or the package and we
need to work on how we fine-tune the car’s set-up and how Heikki is
involved in that process. He was at MTC on Tuesday to carry out his
pre-race programme and is working hard with his engineers to find a
set-up that allows him to maintain his speed throughout a race stint
without suffering from some of the rear-end nervousness he has
encountered in recent races."
With the traditional F1 testing ban
coming into effect immediately after the Hungarian Grand Prix, how has
the team structured its development programme for the rest of the
summer?
"The whole team has been incredibly busy
and productive this year. Throughout the summer, we’ve been working
hard to evaluate several substantial developments at each test and were
able to sample major new aerodynamic steps at both the Silverstone and
Hockenheim tests. This week’s Jerez test was no different: as well as
evaluating the latest iteration of Bridgestone slick, we also tried out
antler wings on the nosecone to improve the front-end flow as well as a
number of more detailed aero solutions. Over the three-week break, we
have also scheduled two 50km shakedowns and will be working hard back
at Woking and Brixworth to enable us to keep the development programme
on schedule before we resume the season in Valencia."
Norbert Haug, vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
Two weeks ago you said that Silverstone
and Hockenheim were so-called ‘engine circuits’, which suited
McLaren-Mercedes. What are your expectations for the twisty Hungaroring?
"The characteristics of the circuit just
outside Budapest are quite different to those at the previous Grands
Prix in Silverstone and at the Hockenheimring. The average speed per
lap of almost 200km/h is the second lowest speed after Monaco, where we
won. In Hungary, we have clinched four victories out of the last 10
races; Lewis was our most recent winner last year. Four times we
started from pole in Hungary, the last time also in 2007 with Lewis,
and we have posted four fastest race laps."
What are the main challenges in Hungary?
"As overtaking on the Hungaroring is almost
impossible, apart from into turn one, a good grid position is even more
crucial than on most other circuits. Nevertheless, at the Hungaroring,
we will hardly see spectacular overtaking manoeuvres as demonstrated by
Lewis on his way to victory in Hockenheim when he passed Felipe Massa
and Nelson Piquet. To be fast through the many corners, which make up
the largest part of the circuit, a lot of downforce will be key. At the
Hungaroring, this is more important than good top speed. The high
ambient temperatures at this race are among the highest which often put
a lot of strain on car, engine cooling, tyres and of course the
drivers."
What factors will influence the strategy for the Hungarian Grand Prix?
"The requirements in Hungary are similar to
those in Monaco: we need efficient cooling and a lot of downforce, but
we also have to cope with high tyre wear. The weight of the car, and
thus the fuel load, have a bigger influence on the lap times than in
the previous races."
How do you estimate your competition after Vodafone McLaren Mercedes clearly dominated in Hockenheim?
"Hungary will present a different picture. We have no reason to expect a walk in the park."
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