Formula One: Impenitent Ferrari Upbeat over Hungarian Grand Prix Prospects
Fresh from the action in Germany, the Formula One community now travels to Budapest for the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix. The drama in Hungary will take place from the 30th of July to the 1st of August, after which the participant teams will head off to a well-deserved summer hiatus. Racers and senior squad officials have been talking about their expectations from this weekend’s action in Budapest, and Ferrari, fresh from their triumph in Germany, are particularly confident about their prospects in Hungary.
Hot on the heels of his controversial success in Hockenheim at last weekend’s German Grand Prix, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso has poured cold water over team order polemics and is enthusiastically looking forward towards consolidating his chances for the 2010 drivers’ title at Hungaroring. Alonso professed himself to be hopeful of a reasonably competitive run in Budapest, remarking that his conviction had been emboldened considerably by the recent resurgence in F10’s performance. Alonso said it was important to build on the outcome in Germany and that racing on the Hungaroring track had a special significance for him. The Spaniard reminisced back to the time in 2003 when he had scored his first Formula One victory on this very circuit. Alonso pointed out there would be little room for a lapse of judgement at highly challenging Budapest grid, for any blunder would come with a heavy price, particularly at the qualifying level.
Alonso appeared unmoved by the scepticism surrounding his first place finish in Germany, where his team was accused of breaching article 39.1 of motor sporting regulations. The Spaniard’s Brazilian teammate Felipe Massa was ordered by his race engineer Rod Smedley to slow down in order to pave the way for Alonso to take the lead. Ferrari were subsequently accused of issuing team orders to contrive Alonso’s first place finish ahead of Massa at Hockenheim rather than letting matters take their natural course. Alonso’s triumph at the German Grand Prix has put Ferrari firmly back in the championship contention. The Italian side’s resurgence comes after a series of dismal runs at recent Grand Prix events where the Scuderia found themselves on the receiving end of several unexpected race occurrences, such as the safety intervention in Valencia which put Alonso at considerable disadvantage. Massa too did not enjoy much luck with points in the three races that preceded the German Grand Prix, with many pundits speculating the Brazilian was yet to fully recuperate from his life threatening accident at the 2009 Hungarian event.
Felipe Massa, of course, has reason to be very sentimental ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian showdown. It’s been a year since Massa was severely injured in a freak qualifying accident in Budapest. The Brazilian is still reeling from the psychological scars of his close brush with death, but insists professionally the accident has not had any repercussions. Massa said the mishap had moulded him into a more mature person, but on the race track, nothing had changed, for once he sealed the visor and steered the car onto the circuit, the accident was the last thing on his mind. The Brazilian remarked that although he had yet to enjoy a great result in Hungary, he has always relished driving at the Hungaroring, and was eagerly awaiting a return to the track in a few days’ time.
McLaren’s Jenson Button is another one of the drivers who have great memories of racing in Hungary. Like Alonso, Button enjoyed his first Grand Prix victory at the Hungaroring, a triumph the Englishman understandably regards as a turning point in his career. Button’s teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished first at the Hungarian Grand Prix last year, said Hungary was one of his favourite racing destinations. Hamilton refused to buy the view that the Hungaroring track was not conducive to overtaking. The reigning Hungarian Grand Prix champion was keen to emphasize the merits of the Hungaroring grid, comparing it to the famously thrilling and unforgiving Monaco circuit. McLaren have been reported to have introduced significant upgrades to their 2010 machine in a bid to keep their title hopes alive.
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