Pacific GP Friday qualifying, v2

Fresh from a three-week break, the Formula One circus arrives in Budapest for the 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix. The stunning capital city and beautiful weather makes the Hungarian race a pleasure for both teams and drivers alike, although the track itself is not as favoured as its surroundings.

One of the slowest tracks on the calendar, the Hungaroring is a very twisty circuit with a tight configuration of slow corners combined with only a couple of medium length straights. The high-downforce track's layout leaves very few opportunities to overtake, so both teams and drivers will be hoping for a good qualifying session to get as high up the grid for the start as possible. Although the Hungaroring is just under two and a half miles in length, due to the tight twists and turns, the 77 laps tend to make for a relatively long race and it is a physically hard one for drivers especially in the August heat.

The OrangeArrows team had a tough race at the Humgaroring in 2000. Starting from 15th and 20th on the grid, both drivers put up a strong fight, though Pedro's hopes were dashed after being hit in an incident in the opening laps and he had to be content with getting the car home in 16th. Jos, however, true to form, pulled off his usual overtaking manoeuvres and fought his way up to 13th, which was no mean feat on the infamously tight circuit. This year, the team will be looking for another solid race and hope the developments made will pay off.

Jos Verstappen is looking forward to returning to Budapest and is hoping for a positive result in the race…

"A maximum downforce circuit which so far this year hasn't really suited our car. Having said that though we have some new developments for this race so we'll soon see if all the hard work has paid off. I always enjoy the atmosphere at this race, the weather is usually good and the city of Budapest is beautiful."

Enrique Bernoldi has raced at the Hungaroring before and is familiar with the circuit…

"This is a really slow, high downforce track. It's very twisty like Monaco and can also be very hot which makes it a tough event. The race can end up being rather processional as, because it is so tight, there are no real opportunities for overtaking."

Mike Coughlan, Technical Director, comments on the circuit and is certain the team's latest development will be a benefit…

"The Hungaroring may not suit the our car as well as other circuits. It is very similar to Monaco in that sense as it is a particularly high downforce circuit with a lot of tight turns and very little opportunity for overtaking. Having said that, we have a new front wing, which the team has been testing prior to this weekend and that should give us some advantage."

-Arrows