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Xevi Pujolar, Chief Race
Engineer:
The Hungaroring is one of the most challenging circuits of the year with
the potential high ambient temperatures also putting extra demand on the
drivers. The layout is quite technical; one corner quickly flows into
the next and there are not many straights to be able to relax. The
circuit layout leads to medium-low average speeds and so we run the
maximum downforce configuration. You would think that because the
average corner speed is medium-low that the tyres don’t suffer as much,
but because of the number of corners, it’s unrelenting and a lot of
energy goes through the rubber. Pirelli are introducing new tyres for
the race in Hungary, so we will be aiming to fine tune our set-up on
Friday to try to get the best out of them this weekend.
Pastor Maldonado:
I have driven at the Hungaroring for a few years now and it is a very
demanding circuit for drivers as it is often very hot and there are
limited overtaking opportunities. There will be new tyres from Pirelli
this weekend that combine last year’s construction with this year’s
compounds, so understanding how these will perform will be a primary
focus for the teams as we prepare for this race. Testing these tyres at
Silverstone in the Young Driver’s Test has given me an insight into the
changes made, but it will only be after practice on Friday that can we
sit down and analyse all the data and discuss our strategy for the
weekend. Qualifying is so important at this track because of the small
number of overtaking opportunities, but I qualified well last year so I
know what to expect and can hopefully deliver a strong performance that
will give the team a boost as we head into the summer break.
Valtteri Bottas:
I have raced at the Hungaroring in Formula Renault and GP3 and drove in
FP1 last year and I always found this to be a very demanding track
because there are very few places to overtake and the layout has a lot
of corners in quick succession which gives you very few opportunities to
rest. The track can be a bit dusty at the beginning of the week as it
doesn’t get used much during the year, but the grip does increase a lot
as the weekend progresses and you notice a big difference between FP1
and FP2. The team were very close to securing a double points finish in
Germany and the hard work everyone is putting in is moving us in the
right direction. There is normally a big Finnish contingent who fly over
to Hungary for this race and I’d like to be able to give them something
to cheer about and secure some points for the team.
Rémi Taffin, Head of Renault Sport F1 Track Operations:
The twisty 4.381km circuit is often compared to a kart track, with one
slow speed corner leading into another in very quick succession. This
sinuous nature gives rise to the second lowest average speed over a lap
(after Monaco) so power sensitivity and outright engine power is not a
major concern. As a result we generally use engines on the third race
and work to deliver good low speed torque response and driveability.
Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director:
We’re taking the P Zero White medium and P Zero Yellow soft tyres to the
Hungaroring, which after analysis of all our data is set to provide the
best compromise between performance and durability, while maintaining a
good show for all the spectators who come so enthusiastically to this
circuit. We’ll be using the specification of tyres tested by the teams
at Silverstone last week, with the 2012 construction matched to the 2013
compounds. We’re expecting high temperatures, which adds to the work
done by the tyres, although wear and degradation is generally low at the
Hungaroring because the average speeds there are low as well.
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
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