Tales from the Hungarian GP Paddock – Friday
Formula One is heating up for a scorching Hungarian Grand Prix. F1Technical.net's Balázs Szabó is breathing in every inch of the last race before the summer break.
1. Two fans were given the chance to travel around the Hungaroring in a two-seater F1 race car. Former F1 Hungarian driver Zsolt Baumgartner guided two young fans around the twisty track in the two-seater machine this morning. For this electrifying opportunity, fans had to post a selfie during Thursday's pit lane walk and had to go for the highest number of likes for their photo which they successfully did.
2. Five drivers started the event with a fresh gearbox. Nico Hülkenberg, Pierry Gasly and Romain Grosjean used their previous unit for six consecutive events which provided them with a free change while Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso retired from the previous race, giving them the chance to get a fresh gearbox, as well.
3. Unusually and hence interestingly, Pirelli defined relatively low tyre pressures for the slicks. The front slick tyres must have a minimum starting pressure of 19.0 PSI while the rears must comply with the minimum of 18.0 PSI.
4. Niki Lauda will miss his second consecutive race weekend. The three-time world champion was 'sidelined' because of a flu during the German Grand Prix and the notable absentee has to rest another week in his home Ibiza, missing the last race weekend before the summer break.
5. Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are racing not just on the track, but also off the circuit. While every other drivers arrived in a car this morning, the two quadruple world champions opted for motorcycles. The Briton drove his MV Augusta Brutale while the German popped up with his 57-year-old Triumph Bonneville. Kimi Räikkönen drove an Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Fernando Alonso an Audi Q7 TDI Quattro on his way to the Hungarian track.
6. McLaren announced yesterday that Toro Rosso's James Key is joining the struggling British team as technical director. Red Bull's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko says now that his team won't release the Briton despite McLaren asking for an early leave. "Mr Key will have to wait a long time before he can work for McLaren," he insisted.
7. Alfa Romeo was fined EUR 5000 after an unsafe release during the second practice session. Race Director Charlie Whiting reported to the stewards that the team's Sweden driver Marcus Ericsson was released in an unsafe condition after the team failed to attach the wheel properly. The team reacted quickly and Ericsson stopped immediately at the end of the pit lane which means stewards decided not to impose a grid drop penalty.
8. The Renault team was fined EUR 10000 which is suspended until the end of the 2018 season after a breach of 24.2 and 24.4 article of the Sporting Regulations. "The team mixed two left front tyres from two different sets in their garage. As a result,a mixed set was used in FP1. As the car stopped on circuit during the session, the tyres were not scanned back into the pits by the scruitineers. This prevented the error from being discovered in FP1. That first set was returned electronically after FP1. However three of the tyres that were registered in the first set were actually in the second set, which was then used in FP2," said the FIA.
