Aiming for a solid performance - Kovalainen
The ING Renault F1 Team's Finnish driver, Heikki Kovalainen, previews round eleven of the 2007 Formula 1 World Championship, the Hungarian Grand Prix at Hungaroring. Kovalainen aims for a good result at Budapest after a productive three-day test session at Jerez.
"Yes, it’s a fun track to drive. I found out in GP2 how difficult it is to overtake here, and it means that like in Monaco, it is absolutely essential to qualify well for this race. If we can do that, then we will be in a position to run an aggressive race and try to score more points."
Nürburgring was a tough race, do you expect a better result in Hungary?"We will certainly be aiming for that! We did three days of running in Jerez last week to prepare for the hot conditions we expect in Hungary and Turkey, and I think everybody is determined to have a strong race this weekend. There are some more new parts on the car for this race, so I am looking forward to starting our work on Friday."
The races here are often described as being quite boring, but all the drivers seem to enjoy the track. Why?"It is a very demanding track physically for the drivers, because it can be very hot and there are no straights on which you can recover. The corners follow quickly one after the other, the track surface is quite bumpy and you have to maintain concentration over 70 laps. We all enjoy tackling challenges like that, feeling the car on the limit and trying to push a little bit more to go even faster… I think it’s a circuit where the drivers can make a real difference, and that probably explains why we all enjoy it!"
What areas of the car set-up will you focus on as you prepare for the race?"There are not really any high-speed corners in Hungary. That means our main focus will be on the mechanical balance, and getting the car working on the high downforce levels to make sure we are quick in the slower corners. You also need good braking stability, and good change of direction through the sequence of corners after turn 5. Strong traction is important but this is an area in which the R27 is usually strong. We will need to work hard to get the car working well, but I think we will be able to achieve a good result this weekend. We will certainly be pushing to the maximum!"
Source Renault
