Tyre preview: Exciting selection for the Hungaroring

Formula One's sole tyre supplier, Pirelli will bring an exciting tyre selection for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, having nominated its three softest compounds for the Hungaroring.

One last push before Formula 1’s summer break, as the second half of the season gets underway with a double-header on two tracks that could not be more different from one another, the Hungaroring and Spa-Francorchamps.

This weekend, the Hungarian round takes place from 19 to 21 July, a classic long-term fixture on the calendar. Cars must run with a high level of aerodynamic downforce, almost on a par with Monaco. Another vital factor to take into consideration is the weather which has been extremely hot in Hungary for the last two weeks with the ambient temperatures having exceeded 35 degree Celsius.

As far as the layout is concerned, the Hungaroring is very twisty with only one real straight that includes the start-finish line. It provides the most likely, if not the only, overtaking opportunity.

There are 14 corners, six to the left and eight to the right, some of them being 180° turns. The track climbs and drops and its 4.381 kilometres make it one of the shortest on the calendar.

There are two DRS zones: one on the start-finish straight and the other much shorter on the descent from turn 1 to 2, with just the one detection zone before the entry into the final corner.

In terms of the forces exerted on the tyres, the Hungaroring is not particularly severe. Pirelli has chosen the same three softest compounds as last year, with the C3 as P Zero White hard, C4 as the P Zero Yellow medium and the C5 as the P Zero Red soft, which is a step softer compared to the season in which the 18” tyres first appeared.

Traction is one of the most important factors, especially across the rear axle. Degradation can be high, especially when it is very hot and the forecast for this weekend is definitely not favourable to in this regard, when one thinks back to last year when Hungary saw the highest recorded track temperature of the season at 53 °C.

Overheating is therefore a factor that needs to be kept under control, not just in the race but also in qualifying: on the softest compound a driver must manage to get to the last two 180° corners of a flying lap with enough grip left, which is no mean feat, as the short straight sections of track do not give the tyres much time to breathe.