Preview: Hungarian GP
The twisty 4.381km Hungaroring 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 an extremely low speed over a lap, just 182km/h, making Hungary the slowest lap after Monaco.
In fact, with just 55% of the lap taken at full throttle, the requirements for this permanent track are very similar to a street race. Teams will be looking to maximise high downforce performance thanks to the nature of this track, usually bringing the same wings as at the principality, or updated versions of those.
As with so many circuit this year, the FIA have again provisioned in two DRS zones to help overtaking. Just like other years, the main straight is the most important DRS section that has proved moderately successful. An additional short DRS area is located in between turn 1 and 2.
The race has been an ever-present on the calendar since 1986 and ranks third on the list of circuits to host the most consecutive F1 World Championship races, beaten only by Monaco (59) and Monza (32).
Circuit highlights
Turn 1 Heavy braking from almost 300km/h on the main straight to under 100km/h at the first turn creates the most likely overtaking opportunity on the circuit.
Turn 2 After exiting the tight Turn 1 in second gear, the drivers accelerate quickly up to 6th before braking downhill into Turn 2. It is very easy to break too late, locking a wheel and compromising the racing line at corner entry. Equally it is very tempting to get on the power too early, which will compromise the racing line through 3, this penalty being carried along the entirety of following straight. This sequence of corners rewards patience and precision. From an engine’s perspective, the aim is to produce the exact torque requested by the driver, this being just as important on overrun as on traction.
Turns 8 - 9 Although these are definitely two corners in their own right, they are inextricably linked. Exiting the chicane, the drivers accelerate from 2nd to 4th, brake and drop down to 3rd to negotiate turn 8. A quick spurt and momentarily back up to 4th before a quick touch of the brakes and back down to 3rd to tackle turn 9. Drivers have to be careful to not be too greedy through turn 8, as this will compromise their line through turn 9, this loss of speed being carried down to turn 11 as turn 10 is easily taken flat. The engine needs to be able to respond instantly to the driver’s rapidly changing demands throughout this section, such as 50ms downshifts followed by almost immediate power application.
Turn 13 The second slowest corner on the circuit, T13 is a tight left hander taken at around 100km/h before launching the car into the final turn.
Turn 14 Turn 14 is last corner of the circuit. Taken in 3rd gear at between 130-150kph, it is negotiated over a period of around two seconds from the point of turn-in. It is unusual in the sense that it is not a typical point-and-squirt corner, where the driver brakes, turns in and gets back on the power straight away. Instead the driver holds some pedal throughout the corner, potentially stabbing at it deliberately to overcome any understeer balance. Finally the driver arrives at the end of the corner, hopefully on the right line to get the best exit onto the start/finish straight. The engine will need to respond well to this relatively unusual set of circumstances, as any hesitation or drivability issue could upset the balance of the car mid-corner.
Car setup
Rear Wing Rear wing configuration will run to maximum downforce levels thanks to the relatively low speed nature of the circuit.
Front Wing As with the rear, maximum downforce is required from the front wing in line with the circuit layout and also to help counter understeer. We will run a new specification of front wing to assist with this.
Suspension The layout of the Hungaroring circuit promotes understeer, with a strong front end required to prevent this. The drivers will also ride the kerbs a lot at throughout the course of a lap, so a soft front end is useful in that respect.
Brakes The lap begins with relatively heavy braking heading into T1, which comes at the end of a comparatively long straight. By contrast, demands on the brakes from T4 – T10 are very light. The drivers therefore need good confidence in their braking systems to be right on the mark when needed, as they are used heavily relatively seldom over the course of a lap.
Engine We’re looking for non-peaky power delivery here to facilitate traction out of the low-speed corners and provide good all round driveability. The engine needs to be mapped in such a way as to deliver sharp bursts of power rather than sustained application of throttle. Ambient temperatures are particularly high in Budapest, so the engine must perform efficiently through the lower rev range while offering efficient cooling solutions.
Tyres The medium and soft Pirelli P-Zeros are allocated. This will be the first race in which we’ll see a combination of 2013 compounds with 2012 construction. The circuit surface and layout is relatively kind to the tyres, however the high temperatures frequently experienced in Budapest can cause the rubber other issues such as blistering.
Quick facts
Circuit length: 4.381 km
Race laps: 70
Race distance: 306.630 km
Lap record: 1:19.071 (MSC, 04)
Number of corners: 14 (7 left & 7 right)
Maximum speed (no DRS): 310 km/h
Minimum speed: 85 km/h
Corners below 100 km/h (qualifying): 3
Corners above 250 km/h (qualifying): 0
Average lap speed (qualifying): 190 km/h
Distance to from pole to apex of T1: 610 m
Braking events: 11,5 heavy
Pit-lane length under speed-limit control: 341 m
Pit-lane time at 80 km/h: 15.3s
Full throttle per lap (% lap distance): 59%
Full throttle per lap (% lap time): 49%
Longest period at full throttle: 10s
Average gear changes per race lap: 48 (3360/race)
Braking energy: low
