Not much overtaking in Hungary, with high downforce and high temperatures: the scene of 5 “magic” wins for Scuderia Ferrari
Remember the first time Formula 1 came to Hungary in 1986? The Soviet Union was still in existence and the host nation was part of what was known as the Eastern Bloc. The Hungaroring circuit was slow and twisty, with overtaking all but impossible and the facilities were Spartan. Today it’s been modernised, with the long staircase to the top paddock now a thing of the past. However, the track has retained its characteristics, despite a few modifications over the years. At the Hungaroring, just a few kilometres from the wonderful city of Budapest, qualifying counts a lot more than at many other circuits. Having said that, Scuderia Ferrari’s first win on Magyar soil came from the sixth row of the grid. That’s where Nigel Mansell qualified in 1989, over two seconds off the pole time! He staged an amazing climb up the order, including a famous passing move on Ayrton Senna, who hesitated momentarily before lapping Stefan Johansson.
Different times of course and yet, all the wins for the Reds at this track had something magic about them: after Mansell’s came Michael Schumacher’s “strategic” win in ’98, with the memorable radio chat between the driver and the pitwall crew: “do you think you can go from a two stop to a three?” Indeed he did and how. Then came victories for Michael and Rubens Barrichello in 2001 and 2002, which delivered the championship title; the 2004 hat trick of pole, the win and race fastest lap, again courtesy of Schumi. And lastly, Seb Vettel’s lightning start two years ago, before running a solitary race all the way to the highest step of the podium.
The Hungarian track is one of the shortest and most demanding when it comes to levels of aerodynamic downforce. The heat and tyre degradation (here we will have the Medium, Soft and Supersoft) are other factors to take into consideration. The chance of rain over the weekend is very low, which is good for the fans who will be able to enjoy the great view on offer here.
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