| The vast majority of drivers started
their careers in karting, and the tight and twisty Hungaroring near
Budapest, with the lowest average speed of any permanent circuit, is a
reminder of those days. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that the tyres get
an easy time, as all those corners provide no rest for the compounds.
Consequently, Pirelli has nominated the C2 as the hard, C3 as the medium,
and C4 as the soft in Hungary: the three compounds in the middle of the
range. |
|
TRACK CHARACTERISTICS
* The Hungaroring is all about corners, most of them slow, which all arrive
in quick succession. This means that the tyres are constantly working, with
no chance to cool down.
* Average temperatures tend to be among the highest of the season. This not
only increases thermal degradation, but makes life harder for the drivers,
because the low average speeds (as well as the geographic location of the
Hungaroring, inside a bowl) means that there is little airflow through the
car.
* Tyre wear and degradation is quite low. This year’s tyre nomination is
broadly the equivalent of last year, when the 2018 medium, soft, and
ultrasoft compounds were chosen. - The C2 tyre (hard in Hungary) is in fact
a bit softer than the 2018 medium, and it’s often used even when nominated
as the hardest choice. In nine of the 11 grands prix held so far, all three
nominated compounds have been raced.
* Teams use high downforce settings to help negotiate the succession of
corners, but mechanical grip from the tyres is equally important at the
twisty Hungaroring.
* Last year’s winning strategy was a one-stopper, with Mercedes driver Lewis
Hamilton going from ultrasoft to soft on lap 25 (of 70) and not using the
hardest compound at all. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was second with an
alternative one-stopper, from soft to ultrasoft, while his team mate Kimi
Raikkonen was third with a two-stopper: three different strategies in the
top three.
* The race lap record still dates back to 2004 with Michael Schumacher.
Could we see it beaten this weekend. |
|
MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF CAR
RACING
“Hungary marks the final grand prix before the traditional summer break, and
it’s a very challenging race to end the first part of the season with: both
physically and strategically. Overtaking is tricky with a narrow racing line
– there is a risk of sliding if you get off it – so track position is key,
and the strategy needs to ensure this. The Hungaroring is the sort of place
that can cause a surprise though with the right strategy and a car that
handles well, even if it’s not the fastest, as we have seen a few times in
the past. Last year, with the same tyre nomination as this year, we saw
quite a few different race strategies following a rain-affected qualifying:
hopefully we will have the same sort of tactical variety again this weekend”
OTHER PIRELLI NEWS
* GPX Racing Porsche Team won the Spa 24 Hours last weekend in Belgium:
Pirelli’s biggest motorsport event of the year in terms of number of tyres
supplied.
* Taking place at the same time as the Hungarian Grand Prix is Rally
Finland: the fastest round of the World Rally Championship, and the
penultimate round of the Junior WRC, which is exclusively supplied by
Pirelli.
* Budapest will be used as a venue for testing Pirelli’s 18-inch Formula 2
tyres for 2020 in mid-September, following the next F2 18-inch test at Paul
Ricard in the first week of August. |
