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At a Glance…
When Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July, 2009
Where Hungaroring, Hungary
Round 10 of 17
Standings AT&T Williams 20.5pts (5th), N Rosberg 20.5pts (7th), K
Nakajima 0pts -
Hungary's Hot Topics
How will the new boy do in his debut race?
Will the Brawns manage to reassert themselves?
Will tyres continue to be an issue or will the warmer temperatures
provide a fix?
Race Data
Friday:
Practice 1: 10:00 - 11:30
Practice 2: 14:00 - 15:30
Saturday:
Practice 3: 11:00 - 12:00
Qualifying: 14:00 – 15:00
Sunday:
Race: 14:00
Distance 4.381km Laps 70 Distance 306.67kms
Hungaroring in a nutshell
A permanent racetrack but almost as labyrinthine as Monaco. For that
reason, a strong qualifying performance is essential. Overtaking has
been eased since 2003, when the main straight was extended and the first
corner reprofiled, but only slightly (not least because it is incredibly
dusty off the racing line). Modern convention makes this a
two-stop race like most others.
Talking Technical:
Car Dynamics:
Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s corners
expressed in degrees. The higher the average turn angle, the more acute
the corners in the circuit’s configuration and the greater propensity
for understeer to compromise lap time. Average turn angle at the
Hungaroring is 1260 which is significantly higher than the average for
the Championship. The circuit therefore is more penalising on an
understeer balance than the majority of circuits on the calendar.
The end of straight (EOS) speed at the Hungaroring was 297kp/h in 2008.
The Hungarian track ranks as having the 3rd lowest EOS speed on the 2009
calendar, and this is one indicator of the wing level typically selected
to optimise the downforce/drag ratio. Meanwhile, the Hungaroring has the
3rd lowest average lap speed of any of the tracks on the calendar.
Pitlane & Refuelling Strategy
The pitlane length and profile contribute to the determination of the
optimum fuel strategy. The pitlane loss at the Hungaroring is
approximately 20.5 seconds, the 9th most penalising pitlane in the
Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around the
Hungaroring requires 2.48kg of fuel against an average of 2.42kg per 5km
across all circuits this season, ranking the circuit as the 6th most
demanding in terms of fuel consumption.
Safety Car
Another key contributor to the determination of race strategy is the
likelihood of safety car deployments, which are influenced by weather
considerations, the availability of clear run-off areas that allow
racing to continue while recovery takes place and the circuit
profile, especially the character of the entry and exit into turn one at
the start of the race. There has been one safety car deployments in the
last 8 races at the Hungaroring, making it relatively unlikely that
there will be a safety car period.
Temperature, Pressure & Humidity
A an example, it is a
long observed tradition that drivers arriving at Interlagos complain
about a lack of grip and an absence of engine power. Having become
acquainted with a baseline of engine and aerodynamic performance during
the season, the climb to 750 metres above sea level for one of the final
races can, courtesy of the reduction in air density, rob a Formula One
car of engine power, aerodynamic performance and cooling.
The losses can come close to double digit percentages and thus have a
very real impact on car performance. Air density is a factor of the
prevailing ambient temperature, which varies most significantly by
season, air pressure which is closely linked to altitude and, to a much
smaller degree, by humidity. Thus if races are run at the same time each
year, the factor that tends to have the greatest bearing on air density
is elevation. The Hungaroring is 220m above sea level and has the 4th
lowest average pressure (980mbar) of any race venue in the 2009
Championship. As a consequence, the circuit’s ambient characteristics
will result in a noticeable reduction in engine power.
* Please note these statistics do not take into consideration Abu Dhabi.
What the Drivers Say:
Reflections on the German Grand Prix
Nico “We came home from Germany with another strong result with the
fourth place. It was a bit of a difficult weekend before that though as
we struggled with tyre temperatures as it was really quite cold at the
Nürburgring. Still, it all came together for us in the end and I'm
really happy as I made up a lot of places from my 15th grid position.
It’s good to see the team making steady progress with the car and I hope
it continues, as it would be great to get on that podium soon.”
Kazuki “It was a little bit disappointing and an unlucky weekend for me.
The weather in qualifying was especially tricky. We showed though that
the car is quite competitive though and we have enough speed to score
points, so hopefully it will happen for us in Hungary.”
What we’ve been up to between races
Kazuki “I’ve been keeping to my normal routine of visiting the
factory to use the simulator and then lots of training since I came home
from Germany. I was also on duty again at the weekend for the team’s
second trip to Moscow. Nico went last year and I know now why he loved
it so much! To drive a Formula One car alongside such iconic landmarks
like the Kremlin and Red Square was amazing and an experience I will
never forget!”
Nico “The break between the races has gone back to the usual two weeks
which is good as I prefer the rhythm. During that time, I've been to
Sardinia with friends. It was a fantastic trip and they introduced me to
sailing, which was a really nice new experience.”
The Hungaroring – from a technical perspective
Nico “The Hungaroring is a completely different type of track to the
Nürburgring. It’s quite slow and twisty, and is a maximum downforce
circuit which should suit our car. It will definitely be hotter over
there than it was in Germany so we can look forward to a bit of an
easier weekend when it comes to set-up as we'll be able to get the tyres
up to temperature. Traditionally, Williams has always gone well round
Budapest and I hope that will be the case this year and we continue our
strong form.”
Kazuki “The Hungaroring is probably one of my favourites tracks on the
calendar. It’s going to be a tough race because of the temperatures in
Hungary at this time of year, and just because of the nature of the
circuit. It’s a very slow track, a little bit like Monaco in that the
corners are all slow and medium speed. Overtaking will therefore be
difficult because there aren’t many long straights, so qualifying will
be really important. I think we will be competitive there."
Budapest: love it or hate it?
Nico “Budapest is a great city. It’s filled with cool bars and
restaurants, not that I can go out much, but its really vibrant and so
one of the more enjoyable places we visit in the year.”
Kazuki “I know Budapest is a beautiful city but I’ve never really
explored it as I haven’t ever had the time. I hope that this year I will
have some time to look around, or go out in the evening to a restaurant
for a good local meal. It’s always nice when we go to such
interesting cities like Budapest, it just makes the weekend more
exciting.”
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