Ferrari and Shell Hungary for more success

There has been motor racing in Hungary since the 1930’s, in fact the Scuderia Ferrari was racing there as long ago as 1936 (and even then it was using Shell products!), but it was not until 50 years later that the Hungaroring was opened. The long awaited dream of Formula One behind the “Iron Curtain” was achieved the same year, when Nelson Piquet won in front of a crowd of more than 200,000 people.

Despite the modern design, the track soon earned the nickname of “the fastest go-kart track in the world”. The tight twisty nature of the circuit gave the drivers an exhilarating lap, but the spectators got somewhat less of a thrill as the cars struggled to overtake lap after lap. As a result of this, qualifying well is crucial at the Hungaroring. If you can start the race in pole position and lead the field into Turn One, everybody behind you will have to risk moving off-line onto the dusty part of the track to pass into corners where overtaking is not a real possibility. Few drivers risk such a move and those who do often find themselves in the gravel.

“This is a very dirty and dusty circuit and it can get very hot. Dust can get carried into the engine with the air which can lead to blocked air filters and subsequent over heating,” explains Tobias Tasche, Shell’s Trackside Activity Manger. “The difference between a race such as Hungary and, for example Monza, is that the radiators get less airflow here compared with the fast tracks. It is at races like this that the lubricant that we provide Ferrari can come into its own.”

“Also if one car follows closely behind an other and cannot overtake, the lack of air through the oil radiators of the following car will cause its engine temperatures to rise as the engine oil is not being cooled by the air through the radiators. With such extreme temperatures in the engine and in the ambient air, the oil has to absorb the heat from the engine and still be of a consistency to lubricate and conduct heat to the radiators.”

Rising engine temperatures discourage drivers from tucking under the rear wings of the car in front, especially when the chance to overtake is so low, so drivers tend to hold in their positions and wait for the pit stops to try and pass a competitor.

This lack of wheel to wheel racing does not stop fans arriving in their thousands however. On race weekend, Budapest comes alive, especially this year as thousands of German and Austrian fans will move south-east to support their newly crowned World Champion, Michael Schumacher.