Formula 1

Hungarian GP: Jaguar preview

After a three-week summer break from all on-track activities, Jaguar Racing head to the Hungaroring in Budapest to contest the 13th round of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Sixteen years after hosting its first Grand Prix, Budapest has ...

Published: Aug 14, 2002, 10:26 AM

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After a three-week summer break from all on-track activities, Jaguar Racing head to the Hungaroring in Budapest to contest the 13th round of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Sixteen years after hosting its first Grand Prix, Budapest has become a favourite amongst Formula One teams and race fans alike. The Hungaroring is situated between two valleys about 15 miles outside of Budapest and is renowned for providing spectators with a panoramic view of the track, but the track itself is notorious for its lack of overtaking opportunities. At a circuit where there is more emphasis than normal on qualifying, it will be important for the team to extract the best from the set-up, especially since the Hungaroring boasts some of the slowest corners on the racing calendar.

Niki Lauda -- CEO and Team Principal

"This is a difficult circuit for the teams. The dirty track is very hard on the car and especially challenging on the tyres. The drivers are under a lot of pressure throughout the race because of the lack of straights. There are just so many corners and this makes it a hard task to overtake. The slow corners coupled with the heat provide a challenge just to stay on the circuit and this really tests the fitness of the driver. Eddie has had a podium here before so he certainly knows the circuit well. I know that he enjoys this track, as does Pedro so both drivers are looking forward to the race weekend. Since the circuit is so complicated the team are working with Michelin to achieve the best strategy for the weekend. Even with a good strategy, however, I know that this weekend is going to be tough for a lot of teams."

Eddie Irvine

"The Hungaroring can be good fun and it's certainly a track I enjoy racing at even though it is very twisty and overtaking opportunities are few and far between. My best finishing position to date at this track was in 1999 when I came third. Although it's a difficult circuit it is not a fast one. Some of the corners are very slow and this can make the race very long for us. In the high temperatures it also becomes a race of physical strength. Add this to the fact that the circuit is used very little and is not renowned for offering maximum grip levels. A good qualifying position at this track is even more important because of the extreme difficulties in overtaking.However, saying that, I enjoy the fact that the circuit challenges you and there is no doubt that the spectators have a great view of the action here. Since the circuit is so close to Budapest it is also one of the favourites of the teams. All in all, I am looking forward to this race. After the short break it will be good to get back behind the wheel and start racing again."

Pedro de la Rosa

"This weekend is going to be tough for many teams. The track is usually really dirty making it more difficult than normal to stay on the black stuff. It's a race that is dictated through tyre strategy because of the abrasive nature of the tarmac - as I discovered last year when after only five laps in the warm-up session my tyres were blistered. I suspect that this year, the track will be in much the same condition and with the expected high temperatures, we will be working hard with Michelin to understand the optimum tyre strategy. With so few races left we need to know as much as we can about the package in an effort to build these factors into next year's package. I know that the team has been working hard over the short break so I am keen to see what we can do at this circuit."

-jaguar-

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