Formula One's next stop: Hungaroring, Hungary GP 2010
Hungaroring is located in Mogyorod near Budapest and is the home of Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix 2010, which starts in two days’ time. We take a look at the circuit’s history and its characteristics before the next race.
History
The first ever race at Hungaroring was held at a 5 km long circuit in 1936 which saw Mercedes-Benz, Auto Union and Ferrari participating in the inaugural edition. Despite being a famous event, motor racing was suspended from the circuit for the next fifty years due to politics and war.
Formula One’s first race was staged at Hungaroring in 1986 through the efforts of Bernie Ecclestone as the event pulled a huge crowd despite the expensive tickets. The track was narrow and twisty and overtaking was almost impossible on the circuit. A good performance in the race could only come from the qualifying or by using a pit strategy. In 2003, the track was modified in an attempt to allow passing to take place.
Since 1986, Hungaroring has never failed to host a race and last year, its contract with Formula One was extended until 2016.
Facts
The current length of the track is 4.381 km or 2.722 miles and the total race length is 306.663 km over the course of 70 laps. Michael Schumacher holds the lap record of 1 minute and 19.071 seconds at the circuit which was set in 2004. Schumacher is also the most successful driver with four race wins at the track. McLaren leads the Constructor’s count with nine wins while Williams stands at second with seven. Moreover, the last three races at Hungaroring have been won by McLaren.
The Hungarian Grand Prix was the first race win for four drivers namely Damon Hill in 1993, Fernando Alonso in 2003, Jenson Button in 2006 and Heikki Kovalainen in 2008. In 2006, Button also broke Mansell’s 17 year record when he won the race from the 14th place on the grid. The 2006 Grand Prix was the first and only race in Hungary to be held under wet conditions.
Hungaroring has crowned two drivers in its history including Nigel Mansell in 1992 and Michael Schumacher in 2001. Williams also secured the Constructors’ Championship in Hungary in 1996.
Formula One Lap
There are no proper straights and corners are interlinked which means that a mistake in one corner is carried into a few more. The track takes down a lot of rubber from the tyres, which eventually improves the grip and cars go 5 second a lap quicker in the race than they do in first practice session. A sudden improvement in grip levels makes it very hard for the teams to evaluate the setup of the car.
Turn 1 is very slow and a driver brakes from 290 km/h to the second gear. After brief acceleration through the kink, the driver brakes again through the long left-hander. The turn is very bumpy at the exit so it is important not to lock the wheel. Turn 3 is a short right-hander followed by a short straight so it is important to carry some speed while going into it. Turn 4 is a big challenge because its entry is blind and exit is very narrow and if a driver manages to go through it at high speeds, he can gain a lot of time.
Turn 5 is very attractive as a driver puts down all the power and all four wheels slide to the exit. Turns 6 and 7 form a chicane and the driver touch the right kerb in order to avoid the left one, which can be harmful for the rear wheel.
Turn 8 is a fourth gear left-hander and carrying speed through it is very important apart from taking a good line through turn 9 which is a slippery right hander. A lot of throttle would mean over steer while low throttle would snap the under steer, so it is a very tricky corner.
Turn 10 is a flat-out left-hand kink, before the driver comes to turn 11, which is a very fast right-hander. He approaches it in sixth gear and change down to the fifth in an attempt to stick the front end of the car to the road.
Next is another right-angled right-hander and the driver tries to stay clear of the kerb which can slow the driver down. The penultimate corner is a hairpin and is quite bumpy as the driver can out-break himself at the entry. A short burst of acceleration follows, before turning into the last corner. The last turn is very slippery and bumpy and the exit of the corner cannot be seen right away. On the exit, the driver crosses the start finish line to start another lap.
Technical Requirements
The circuit features no high-speed corners and teams run the highest possible down-force levels. A primary concern during the race is cooling systems under hot track conditions. The track presents just one overtaking opportunity per lap, which is situated at turn one. Teams run softer settings to improve the mechanical grip of the car, ensuring good traction on corner exits. The mechanical bias is forwarded which allows stiff front and soft rear suspension.
The track can be hard on tyres due to its bumpy nature and close monitoring of super-soft compound is very important. In case of overnight rain before the race, all rubber will be washed out and the track will be very hard to drive on.
With the longest straight lasting only 10 seconds and car speed range required between 100 km/h and 250 km/h, the track is not very demanding on the engine.
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