Hungarian GP 2010 - Hungaroring

[andrew]

Circuit information
Length: 4.381km
Race distance: 70 laps / 306.663km

Full throttle: 58%
Top speed: 291kph
Longest flat-out section: 11s / 750m
Right/left-hand turns: 8/6

Tyre wear: Medium/high
Brake wear: High
Downforce level: Very high
Gear changes per lap: 50

Strategy

Average fuel use per lap: 2.172kg (source: Williams)
Pit stop time loss: 20.5s

2010 tyres: Medium (prime, no stripe) and Super-Soft (option, green stripe)
2009 tyres: Soft (prime, no stripe) and Super-Soft (option, green stripe)

2009 Result:

1 Lewis Hamilton - McLaren-Mercedes
2 Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari
3 Mark Webber - Red Bull-Renault
4 Nico Rosberg - Williams-Toyota
5 Heikki Kovalainen - McLaren-Mercedes
6 Timo Glock - Toyota
7 Jenson Button - Brawn-Mercedes
8 Jarno Trulli - Toyota
9 Kazuki Nakajima - Williams-Toyota
10 Rubens Barrichello - Brawn-Mercedes
11 Nick Heidfeld - BMW Sauber
12 Nelson Piquet, Jr. - Renault
13 Robert Kubica - BMW Sauber
14 Giancarlo Fisichella - Force India-Mercedes
15 Jaime Alguersuari - Toro Rosso-Ferrari
16 Sébastien Buemi - Toro Rosso-Ferrari
Ret Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull-Renault - Suspension
Ret Fernando Alonso - Renault - Right Front Wheel Gone
Ret Adrian Sutil - Force India-Mercedes - Water pressure
DNS Felipe Massa - Ferrari - Injured

[Giblet]

Hungaroring is not in Budapest.

"The Hungaroring is a Formula One racing circuit in Mogyoród, near Budapest, Hungary where the Hungarian Grand Prix is held."

[Super racing]

I think the race would be more exciting if they held it on that kart track behind the pits

[raymondu999]

This is another "driver's circuit," isn't it? One where the driver CAN make a difference on laptime, much like Monaco?

[Raftaar]

Hello Everyone!
I am looking forward to the race at Hungaroring after an interesting race yesterday.
The circuit requires the highest downforce settings of the whole season, and break & tyre wear are very high. It is a long hard race.

I would expect RBR to be strong here, but also McLaren. Ferrari will be in contension too, after last weekend's strong performance.

What do other forum members think! Which team's car would be more suited to this circuit!!
Do give your opinion everyone!

[marcush.]

well you need to be able to qualify well there and have a good top speed but also the track calls for high downforce......
It seems Mclaren only have one of those advantages...Topspeed .So I think they will again only play 3rd fiddle.
I imagine Renault to be quick there and mix it with Ferrari and RB for the first three rows if only with kubica ,but Petrov could be Top10.
High temps ...Mercedes on the ways back? maximum 1 car in the top10
Williams in the top 10 with at least one car
Sauber back to Tororosso level ,maybe even one car out already in Q3

thinking more about it ,Ferrari seem to be very good on supersoft tyre usage in the race ,better than RedBull ,and the prime tire will only be the medium compound ...so Felipe Massa is a bit relieved not to be struggling with the hard compound...

so myQ3 prediction is :Massa
Alonso
Vettel
Kubica
Hamilton
Webber
Button
Barrichello
Schumacher
Petrov

[Raftaar]

Well said there Marcush. Would like to see more views!!

Interesting that you mention Renault, they escaped my mind for a while.

I have to ask you something though, I recall hearing a conversation earlier where some "Experts" seemed to suggest that the RB6, though has so much grip in medium and high speed corners, does struggle in low speed corners, and has some issues regarding break balance at the end of the straight!! Is there any truth to this?!!
I mean, they were dominant at Monaco, as did Renault, will it be a bit of the same at the Hungaroring!!

[gibells]

I actually think that McLaren won't have the problems here that they did in Germany. I reckon they had the same problems at Germany as they did at Bahrain. Their computer told them that the best compromise was a low downforce setting, but I have my doubts that that was the correct call. Just as at Australia, the race after Bahrain, I reckon they will be able to come back. Especially as their faults will be hidden on a high df track.

As for Ferrari, I don't see that they have any faults at all. Same with Red Bull.

[raymondu999]

I think it will be Renault (at least the number 11), Ferrari, and Red Bull fighting at the top. The mechanical and downforce requirements are pretty much Monacon in nature and any car that did well in Monaco should do so here. However Kubica hasn't reported the same amount of confidence in his car since he had a new floor, either in Silverstone or Valencia I can't remember. So there.

[kalinka]

I live about 200km off the track, and I was attending the race multiple times. Traditionally McLaren and Renault were always good here. The track is pretty much unused trough the season, so the surface is very slippery and dusty. At this time of the year it could be very high temps at this track. Track temp going up to 50c sometimes. No prediction of rain for this year so far. As I can remember there was only 1 or 2 races in rain here, but those races were fantastic. Also we always see a lot of DNF-s on this track as it's high demanding on cars ( cooling system, brakes ). Pole position is crucial here, overtaking is hard, but not impossible, because of recently extended start-finish straight. It's pretty much the only opportunity to overtake.
It's true that it's a driver's track. Just remember Damon Hill almost winning here with disastrous Arrows in '97 :

"The highlight of the year came at the Hungarian Grand Prix. On a day when the Bridgestone tyres had a competitive edge over their Goodyear rivals, Hill qualified third in a car which had not previously placed higher than 9th on the grid. During the race he passed championship contender Michael Schumacher on the track and was leading late in the race, well ahead of the eventual 1997 World Champion Villeneuve, when a hydraulic problem drastically slowed the Arrows".

I predict hard fight, beacuse RBR and Ferrari would be surely strong here, but now McLaren has the opportunity to tune his EBD during friday and using Hockenheim data,so they maybe can challenge too.

[raymondu999]

yep. Renault and McLaren, the mechanical kings. Mclaren have won the last two races here. Heikki in 2008, and Lewis in 2009. But somehow McLaren seems to have lost its mechanical edge this year?

[kalinka]

yep. Renault and McLaren, the mechanical kings. Mclaren have won the last two races here. Heikki in 2008, and Lewis in 2009. But somehow McLaren seems to have lost its mechanical edge this year?

Yes, I think they lost that advantage, but I hope that performance can be "replaced" with EBD somehow.

[raymondu999]

I have a theory though. But I'm not sure if it's right. I think mechanically the MP4-25 is still fantastic, It's just that they have to outfit it with hideously stiff springs to assist them in feeding their diffuser, which nullifies that mechanical awesomeness. Just see the McLaren onboards at Monaco. That front end just turns so directly.

Also, I wonder if their EBD will help to alleviate their "my diffuser is so big I can't feed it when it's qualifying and the car is higher" problems, especially if they adopt that overrun ignition thing.

[marcush.]

I have a theory though. But I'm not sure if it's right. I think mechanically the MP4-25 is still fantastic, It's just that they have to outfit it with hideously stiff springs to assist them in feeding their diffuser, which nullifies that mechanical awesomeness. Just see the McLaren onboards at Monaco. That front end just turns so directly.

Also, I wonder if their EBD will help to alleviate their "my diffuser is so big I can't feed it when it's qualifying and the car is higher" problems, especially if they adopt that overrun ignition thing.

oh I spotted that crisp turn in as well in Hockenheim with Hamilton in Nordkurve ...
Button struggled with his soft turnin not getting the weight transfer quickly enough
the car washing out again and again ,but lewis turned in absolutely aggressive almost old alonso style...and it worked...

[thestig84]

If the driver can make a difference around here Hamilton may do well.
Pole & 1st 2007
Pole & 5th (2nd before puncture) 2008
4th & 1st 2009

Looking forward to it. Also remember to enjoy every second as its the summer break after this one