Solid race for Glock while D'Ambrosio spins in pits
The light rain during today's Hungarian GP greatly influenced the result of the race. Timo Glock made optimal use of it and managed to gain several places on the first lap alone. Jérôme D'Ambrosio had some trouble with the weather as he got cought out by the wet patches in the pitlane.
It was drizzling with rain minutes before the start of the race so Timo and Jérôme started the race on Intermediate tyres. On wet and slippery track, both Timo and Jérôme got off to a good start and were running in 17th and 21st positions respectively at the end of the first lap.
The track was drying and it looked like it wasn’t going to rain for the following 30 minutes, so both drivers pitted on lap 11 and put slick tyres on.
The track then started to dry and the team fitted slick tyres. After 17 laps on the Options, both cars came in for Primes and were running well in 18th and 19th positions but it started to rain again so Jérôme decided to stop for Intermediates. The painted lines in the pits were still quite damp and he spun on the way into the pit box, but the team were quick to respond and he lost minimal time. Timo stayed out and pitted a third and final time towards the end of the race.
It finally stopped raining and Jérôme completed a fourth pit-stop to return to the slick tyre again. With Timo crossing the line in 17th position and Jérôme finishing 19th, we achieved the 8th double finish of the season.
Timo Glock, Race Driver #24:
“A very interesting race today, I have to say, and very good fun. I got a great start and got ahead of Heidfeld and some other guys in faster cars and was able to stay in front of them. They obviously were able to get past me after it started to dry and I just concentrated on my own race, managing to hold the gap behind me. Then when it started to rain, we made the right decision, staying on the slicks. It wasn’t easy to stay on track today as we saw, but we got the right result in the end. A great team performance in tricky conditions, making all the right decisions and some great pit stops which made all the difference. Thanks to everyone for their hard work in the long run up to race 11 and now they deserve an enjoyable break so we can come back fighting again in Spa.”
Jérôme D’Ambrosio, Race Driver #25:
“I’m disappointed really, but the conditions were very tough out there. I had a very good start to the race and I was happy about that but I made an error when the rain came, choosing to stop for intermediates when I probably should have stayed out on slicks. So I lost a lot of time with the pit stops and I also had a tough moment when I spun in the box when I came in, although thankfully the car didn't hit anyone. Definitely not my best race.”
John Booth, Team Principal:
“An incredible start for Timo on the opening laps of the race. In wet conditions he managed to fight with cars which are normally several seconds quicker than us in the dry. The rest of Timo’s race went pretty seamlessly with both him and his engineers on the wall making good decisions, particularly in the period where we had rain at around two thirds distance, and he remained out on slicks. Jérôme was also performing well, but his decision to fit intermediate tyres wasn’t correct. However, in the position he was in, had there been any more rain, it could have worked. The pit crew have been exemplary today, with good consistent stops under difficult conditions. The final pit stops for both drivers were affected by a slippery surface on the way into the pit box and unfortunately this caught Jérôme out.
“Overall, at this point in the season we are very happy with our reliability but realise there’s still work to be done in terms of performance. It’s been a rollercoaster ride of a last few weeks for the whole team but with plenty of highs. Now everyone leaves for a well-deserved break and I’m sure all the batteries will be recharged ready for Spa.”
