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2006 FORMULA 1 HUNGARIAN GP  

• MARK WEBBER LOSES WILLIAMS DRIVE TO ALEX WURZ IN 2007
  Test driver Alex Wurz will partner Nico Rosberg as a full time Williams driver from 2007. Mark Webber's contract with Williams has not been renewed. He
  FRANK WILLIAMS: "I must commend Mark for his contribution to the team over the past two seasons as he is a credit to himself and Williams ... He has never let up in his pursuit of competitive success and I know Mark will give his all until the end of the season. We wish him well in his future arrangements."
  ALEX WURZ: " I couldn't be happier to have received Williams' vote of confidence for this job next season ... Of course I know the team well having been a part of the race programme at every grand prix this season, but now my role takes on additional responsibility and I am really looking forward to this."
• F1 DEBUT FOR KUBICA
  Test driver Robert Kubica makes his F1 debut in place of injured Jacques Villeneuve. The 21 year old becomes the first Polish driver to race in Formula 1.

HONDA RACE REPORT (TOP OF PAGE)

• BUTTON SECURES FIRST WIN FOR THE HONDA RACING F1 TEAM
• The Honda Racing F1 Team today achieved its first grand prix victory after Jenson Button took the chequered flag in P1 for the first time in his career and for the first win of Honda's third generation of Formula One competition.
• There were emotional scenes in the team's garage after Jenson brought a superb drive in the Hungarian Grand Prix to the conclusion that he has been striving for since his F1 career began in 2000.
• Jenson Button: "Wow! What a day! This is such an amazing moment for me and one that I have worked my whole motor racing career for. I always had faith that we would achieve our objective together and this victory is testimony to that belief. There are so many people to thank right now - everybody in the team, Honda Motor Company, our partners and, of course, all the fans."
• "I would also like to pay a very special tribute to my family who helped me start out on the path to victory. To win such a tough and challenging race from 14th place on the grid is incredible for me and all the more important because I know I won on merit today. No one can dispute that today the Honda Racing F1 Team got everything right."
• Takeo Fukui, President and CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd:
• "We are absolutely delighted with this victory today. We have been aiming for victory from the first race of this year, and to have finally reached our goal at the 13th race of the season makes us extremely happy. The drivers and all the members of the team have worked very hard and done a truly outstanding job."
• "Today we share with all our fans the thrill of victory. Tomorrow we will once again be hard at work to achieve yet more Formula One World Championship wins. I would like to express my gratitude to all our fans for their continuing support. Thank you."
• Rubens Barrichello:
• "I am truly happy for Jenson and the Honda Racing F1 Team today. It was a shame for me that we had the wrong tyres at the start or we could have both been on the podium. A huge effort from the team this weekend and we hope to carry that forward for future wins."
• Nick Fry, Chief Executive Officer: "There are hardly words to describe this moment. It is an historic day for Honda and the most incredible occasion for the whole team, its associates and fans all over the world. Everyone has worked so hard for so long to savour the taste of victory."
• "Jenson has remained positive, as has the whole team, and I am immensely proud of everyone today, especially as the CEO of Honda Motor Company, Takeo Fukui, was here in Hungary to receive the trophy on our behalf. Now that we have reached this important milestone, we know we have what it takes to go on and do it again and again."
• Gil de Ferran - Sporting Director: "This will always be an unforgettable day for the whole Honda team! This fantastic result is the culmination of several years of hard work, dedication and relentless pursuit of perfection by the many members of our team, and on this day everything came right."
• "For Jenson, winning a race was just a matter of time and on a day like today where conditions were incredibly difficult gave him the perfect setting to show the world a talent and class that all of us in the team knew he had all along. Jenson drove the perfect race from start to finish; he was fast and flawless throughout. Needless to say this race was very hard to manage from a strategic standpoint, right from the start when we struggled with what tyres to start the race on."
• "With Rubens we decided to start on extreme wets and Jenson with wets which paid off early on for Rubens, but we had to pit him only after a few laps. The key part of the race came after Jenson caught up to the leader and we decided to split the last stint since we doubted the wets were going to be the right tyre for the conditions at the end but they certainly were when he came in for the second time on lap 46."
• "In the end first and fourth is just reward for the whole team, not to mention Jenson and Rubens who have kept faith and focused through all the hard work. Turkey can't come soon enough!"

McLAREN RACE REPORT (TOP OF PAGE)

• Pedro de la Rosa finished today's 70-lap Hungarian Grand Prix in second place, scoring his first ever Formula 1 career podium in his fourth race for Team McLaren Mercedes. Kimi Raikkonen retired on lap 26 whilst in second place following a coming together with Vitantonio Liuzzi, which resulted in the Mercedes-Benz safety car being deployed.
• Pedro was on a three-stop strategy, pitting on laps 16 (11.8 seconds), 26 just as the safety car was deployed (11.0 seconds) and lap 51 (7.9 seconds). Kimi pitted on lap 17 (11.0 seconds). With rain falling at the Hungaroring all morning most of the race was run in wet conditions.
• Kimi is fifth in the Drivers' Championship with 49 points and Pedro is 12th with 10 points. Juan Pablo Montoya is seventh with 26 points, and Team McLaren Mercedes is third in the Constructors' standings with 85 points.
• Formula 1 now enters a three week break from on-track activity until the Turkish Grand Prix at the end of August, however development of the MP4-21 will continue intensively in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart.
• Pedro de la Rosa: 2nd "I am extremely happy to score my first Formula 1 podium today, and it is great to score eight points for the team, who have all worked so hard for this. It was a very interesting race with the wet conditions, so I just tried to keep my head down, push all the way and stay out of trouble, as I knew if I got to the end we had the speed to be on the podium."
• "The Michelin tyres worked really well today in all the conditions, especially the dry tyres at the end. We backed off a little in the middle section as we were very heavy on fuel and we wanted to conserve this and go as long as possible, but in the end the track conditions changed, and we pitted earlier to change the tyres. This really is a great feeling and it is down to all the team that we were able to achieve this today."
• Kimi Raikkonen: DNF
• "I could do nothing to avoid the collision with Liuzzi. He really slowed down on the racing line and there was just nowhere for me to go except into the back of him. The start of the race was really good for me with my first set of Michelin tyres working really well, but after the first stop I was really struggling with grip on the front, and as a result Fernando Alonso was able to build on his lead."
• "It is never great to end a race like that especially when there was every opportunity to win it, but we just have to move forward, and I really appreciate the gesture of Liuzzi coming to apologise. Well done Pedro for a strong performance."
• Ron Dennis: "I would like to congratulate Pedro on a tremendous, measured and effective drive today scoring a great second place. The team and I are personally delighted for him, and it is a much deserved result and demonstrates the racing quality of a great driver. Whilst the race, I am sure, was exciting to watch it was tinged by some disappointment that we should lose Kimi in such a way. Understandably we feel a race win that should have been eluded us today."
• Norbert Haug: "A first class performance by Pedro mastering tricky conditions throughout the race. His second place is well deserved, and he kept his cool in every circumstance. It is a pity that Kimi dropped out after having a misunderstanding followed by a crash with Vitantonio Liuzzi who backed off to let Kimi through."
• "We will now during the summer break continue to work hard to further improve our package, and we want to demonstrate our upwards trend at the next Grand Prix in Turkey. Congratulations to Honda and Jenson Button for their first win.

BMW RACE REPORT (TOP OF PAGE)

• In its 13th race the new BMW Sauber F1 Team celebrated its first podium. Nick Heidfeld finished third in the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest. After a spectacular race F1 debutant Robert Kubica came seventh in his BMW Sauber F1.06. This result means the BMW Sauber F1 Team has claimed back fifth position in the Constructors’ World Championship from Toyota.
• Nick Heidfeld: 3rd "This is a fantastic day. Not only for me but for the entire team. Especially as we had a rather low point after the last two races. It is also very good that Robert finished in the points. This result gives all of us enormous motivation."
• "My race was good. I had to be somewhat careful with the tyres to avoid overheating, but I believe this was the case for most of the drivers today. The pit crew did an excellent job. They got me ahead of Coulthard and allowed me to be on the podium."
• "Although it was a great race I did have two worrying moments, one earlier in the race when I went off on some gravel and then near the end when I overtook Michael Schumacher. He ran into the back of me and destroyed his suspension, although my steering was then damaged I knew I had an advantage so took it easy to the end of the race.
• Robert Kubica: 7th
• "My start was very good. But then I struggled a bit with the conditions because I don’t have a lot of experience with the traction control and other settings. On lap two I made a mistake in the chicane and spun."
• "Later on I made another mistake and hit the barriers. Because of this we had to change the pit stop strategy and I finished the race on intermediate tyres. They were destroyed in the end and this is why I was so slow. The result is good, but my driving today was not. I made too many mistakes.
• Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): "We are extremely happy about the first podium for our new team. Nick drove a fantastic race under very difficult conditions und definitely deserved his podium finish. Robert managed to get two points in his first F1 Grand Prix. At the beginning of the race he found his new territory somewhat slippery. This result gives a lot of momentum for the rest of the season. A big thank you goes to the entire team. Not only here at the track but also to the colleagues in Munich and in Hinwil."
• Willy Rampf (Technical Director): "This is a fantastic result after a very exciting race under difficult conditions. When Robert pitted with the nose damaged we had to change his strategy, but it was too early for dry tyres. We were aware of the risk of leaving him on intermediates, but another stop would have cost us at least one position. Robert’s pace and performance in his very first F1 race has been very good. He also fought well for positions."
• "For Nick the strategy worked as planned. He drove a race without mistakes and we put him on dry tyres at his second stop. He took every chance offered to improve his race position and finished on the podium."

RENAULT RACE REPORT (TOP OF PAGE)

• The Renault F1 Team leaves the most dramatic race of the 2006 season empty-handed after a torrid afternoon on Budapest's sinuous Hungaroring circuit.
• Giancarlo Fisichella was caught out by the tricky wet conditions in the early stages of the race, while Fernando Alonso retired after his final pit-stop with a mechanical problem which has yet to be identified. However, the bare statistics fail to tell the true story of a dramatic afternoon of motor racing.
• Fernando started fifteenth yet occupied third position by lap five as he scythed through the field on Michelin's excellent 'intermediate' wet tyres. He took the lead on lap 17 as Kimi Raikkonen pitted, and enjoyed a forty second lead when the Safety Car was called into action on lap 27.
• Running with a heavy fuel load in the second stint of the race, he had a slender lead over Jenson Button when he pitted on lap 51 for dry tyres. However, as he exited the pits, a failure at the rear end of the car pitched him into a slide at turn 1, and finally out of the race at turn 2.
• However, the final twist in a dramatic race came when championship rival Michael Schumacher retired from fourth position, meaning the gap between the two championship contenders remains identical at eleven points with five races remaining.
• While Ferrari reduced the gap by one point in the constructors' chase, the pace showed by the R26 and its Michelin tyres throughout the weekend in widely-varying conditions means the team will approach the next race in Turkey in optimistic, aggressive mood.
• Fernando Alonso, Retired "These things happen in motor racing, but what an incredible race. The first part was fantastic, and the car felt really good in the wet conditions, even with a much bigger fuel load onboard than our rivals. After the safety car, we avoided taking too many risks and with the dry tyres, I think it would have been a comfortable win for us today. But as I came out of the pits, something broke at the rear end and I spun in turn 2."
• "Even though I am disappointed, everything is relative and with Michael retiring, it means we haven't lost anything at all this weekend. Even better, the car was really competitive this weekend. We are starting the important part of the championship now, and I am confident we are in a very strong position after this race. I also want to congratulate Jenson on his first Grand Prix win, he did a great job this afternoon and deserved it."
• Giancarlo Fisichella, Retired "It was a tough afternoon for me. The wet conditions are usually very good for me, but the car was very difficult to drive in the early part of the race, with understeer into the corners then big snaps of oversteer as soon as I touched the throttle. I followed Michael for a long time and eventually managed to get past him, but then went off in turn 8."
• "I was pushing hard to build a gap, lost the rear end and damaged the rear wing. I carried on because I could not feel any damage, but then it came off on the next lap and I spun at turn three. This was not a good race for me, but I am still fighting for third in the championship, and confident that we can be quick in Turkey.
• Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: "It was the team's mistake today that cost us the win with a car failure. It has not been a nice day, and I am sorry for the team and Fernando: they all did a fantastic job in very demanding circumstances. But on these days, you have to think in terms of the championship as well, and nothing has changed -- except we are one race closer to the end."
• "What's more, we showed this weekend that we can bounce back strongly from a hard weekend like Hockenheim -- and even from Fernando's penalty on Friday. That gives the advantage back to us at Renault, and we will be fighting hard to make the most of it in Turkey in three weeks' time.
• Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: "Wet races often bring excitement, but nobody could have predicted how many times the tables turned this afternoon. As a team we have to look at it in two ways. Firstly, I am sure we lost the possibility of scoring eighteen points today. But on the other hand, the damage in both championships is minimal."
• "Fernando was the class of the field this afternoon, and we know his retirement was caused by a failure on the car, although we will not know the exact cause until we physically see the parts. Finally, congratulations to Jenson and Honda: it is always good to see new winners in Formula 1."

TOYOTA RACE REPORT (TOP OF PAGE)

• DECLINE IN BUDA
• Panasonic Toyota Racing will leave Budapest with three points courtesy of Ralf Schumacher following today's incident-packed Hungarian Grand Prix. After the cool conditions of the first two days, the Hungarian weather had one more surprise for the teams on Sunday, with heavy showers ensuring that much of the race took place on a wet track. Toyota's drivers Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli started from P6 and P8 on the grid respectively with a heavy fuel load for a two-stop race. But both drivers were short of grip at the start and they lost a total of six places each on the first lap. From there it was always going to be a long, hard afternoon's work around the Hungaroring. The task was made even harder when the safety car was brought out just after both had made their first pit stops on lap 25, leaving both a lap down. The two drivers were the first to switch to dry tyres for the final stint and Ralf did well to bring the car home in 6th place. Jarno was less fortunate, suffe
  ring an engine failure five laps from home. There is no testing in August so the teams will now take a mini-break before the next race at Turkey's Istanbul Park in three weeks.
• Ralf Schumacher (Car 7, Chassis TF106/10B)
  Race Classification: 6th
  Gap: +1 lap (from race winner)
  Qualifying Classification: 7th
  Time: 1m20.759s (+1.160s in Q3)
  Grid: 6th
• "That was a very turbulent race and after everything that happened we are happy to take away three points. A lot of things went badly, but the rain was especially difficult at the start of the race. The track was really wet and we just could not warm up the tyres. It was like running on smooth ice and we were extremely slow so it was pretty hard work. As the track got drier we improved our pace and the Bridgestone standard wets worked extremely well even in dry conditions. At the moment when we decided to change to dry tyres it might have been quite risky. But it was a risk we had to take and it worked. On dry tyres we were quick and I was able to make up ground and take 6th place."
• Jarno Trulli (Car 8, Chassis TF106/08B)
  Race Classification: DNF
  Qualifying Classification: 9th
  Time: 1m21.123s (+1.533s in Q3)
  Grid: 8th
• "This has simply been a chaotic weekend from start to finish. During the first lap I was hit by a car on the infield and I lost several positions. Then during the first stint we had a major struggle for grip which got worse as the rain increased. Then when I could have done with some luck from the safety car I pitted a lap too soon and I was stuck behind it a lap down. I had been starting to make up ground but I was then stuck behind a lot of cars that were slower than me. That lost me a few seconds a lap and with the strategy I had it ruined my race. As the track got drier and the temperatures went up, the car became quicker and we were doing pretty well in the last stint on dry tyres until we suffered our engine failure. We should have finished in the points but in the end everything that could have gone wrong did. We will hope for a more predictable weekend in Turkey and a better result."
• Tsutomu Tomita - Team Principal
  "First of all we would like to congratulate Honda on their first win since their return to Formula 1. Here at Toyota our weekend started well and we expected a good performance in the race so I am very dissatisfied with this result. In the end it was full of action and incident and events did not play into our hands today. We had taken the risk of rain into account when we decided on our set-up yesterday so we were not too worried. But we made a poor start and we had poor grip in the wet conditions of the early stages when our lap times were worse than those of our tyre competitors. Then the safety car came at the worst possible time for us and we lost a lap compared to cars which we could have passed later in the race. So that lost us the chance to score more points. As the race went on and as it became drier over the last two stints our pace was very good. Ralf did well to finish in 6th place but Jarno was less fortunate and suffered a late engine failure. We are confident
  we will improve and we will continue pushing to the end of the season."

2006 QUALIFYING

• RAIKKONNEN ON POLE - HIS 100TH GP
• ALONSO & SCHUMACHER GETS 2 SECONDS PENALTY
• Both Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso have 2 seconds added to their qualifying time. Alonso was penalised for illegal overtaking under yellow flag and "dangerous driving" during Friday practice session. Schumacher received a similar penalty on Saturday.
• Schumacher: "I prefer not to go into a long explanation of what happened"

McLAREN QUALIFYING REPORT - RAIKKONEN ON POLE  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Team McLaren Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen will start his 100th Grand Prix from Pole Position at the Hungaroring tomorrow, which is his 10th career and Team McLaren Mercedes 45th. The Finn set a time of 1:19.599 in the dying seconds of the session. Pedro de la Rosa will start from fourth after setting a time of 1:20.117 in the final qualifying session
• Kimi Raikkonen: "That was a really good qualifying session and to come out with pole position is really great. The car has been quick all weekend, and I am confident that we have made an excellent choice with our Michelin tyres."
• "I believe we have a very strong car for tomorrow, and I am looking forward to the race where we have every chance to win. The work we have done in testing has really made a difference and improved our package over the last two weekends."
• Pedro de la Rosa: "I am very pleased with that result as it was generally a great qualifying session. It is very tight, but we have a very good car for the race and I am confident in our Michelin tyre choice for tomorrow."
• "We selected the tyres which we expect to work better in the race, and so I am quite surprised that we are as high up. Our biggest strength for tomorrow will be the consistency in the tyres so I am looking forward to a very competitive race."
• Ron Dennis: "The outstanding performance of both Kimi and Pedro is a practical demonstration of the improvements the team have made to the performance of the car at the Jerez test preceding Hockenheim. Our race strategy should give both drivers every chance to attack the podium."
• Norbert Haug: "What a thriller! An exciting pole lap by Kimi with a stunning last sector time, and an excellent job from Pedro. Both cars on the first two rows of the grid is a great outcome from today's qualifying."
• "Kimi on his last run was about three tenths quicker than Felipe Massa and Pedro's performance was just 32 thousandth shy of third place on the grid. We now are well positioned for tomorrow's race."

FERRARI QUALIFYING REPORT - MASSA 2ND, SCHUMACHER 11TH  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Jean Todt: "Obviously, this qualifying session did not go the way we might have expected. Felipe fought for pole position right to the end and managed to put his Ferrari on the front row of the grid after a great qualifying performance."
• "It is clear that the Ferrari package, made up of the 248 F1 and the Bridgestone tyres is very competitive, but Michael's penalty for what happened in this morning's free practice made it more or less impossible for him to get through to the final part of qualifying. Thanks to some fantastic laps, Michael did the best he could, which equates to eleventh place on the grid. I do not wish to comment on the Stewards' decision: everyone can draw their own conclusions."
• "On a track where overtaking is particularly difficult, the decisive factors will be the same as ever: reliability, strategy, tyre performance, teamwork and the performance of the drivers. It's possible that the tyres will play an even more important role than usual. Obviously, we will only find out about this in the race. For our part, we will do our utmost to produce the best result possible.
• Felipe Massa: "It was a good qualifying and it is always important to start from the front row. Maybe I could have been on pole, but I had a bit of traffic even from the moment I came out of pit lane on my out lap for my second timed run. That meant my tyres were not up to temperature, especially going into the first corner."
• "Apart from that, I am happy with the package I have. We have worked well over the past two days, fine tuning the car and trying to get the most out of the Bridgestone tyres. I think that even on old tyres, I will be able to maintain a good pace and I will be out to get the best result possible."
• Michael Schumacher: "I prefer not to go into a long explanation of what happened this morning. Everyone can form their own opinion, looking at the replay. I would rather just concentrate on preparing for tomorrow's race as well as possible in these unfortunate circumstances."
• "Eleventh place was the best I could hope for, taking into account the penalty given me by the Stewards. At least it means I start from the clean side of the track. I hope to make a good start and move up a few places and I will be trying to make the best of it tomorrow."
• Ross Brawn:
• "Naturally, we are very disappointed about what happened and by that I am referring of course to events involving Michael in this morning's free practice. It's true he made a mistake, but I leave it to you to decide if the penalty was fair. It's a shame because we had a great potential and we were unable to exploit it."
• "Felipe drove a really good qualifying and probably lost pole because of a little bit of traffic as he was coming out of pit lane to start his final run. Track conditions improved and the tyres have begun to behave as we had expected, which is encouraging."
• "The 248 F1 are well balanced and we will try and make the most of this situation. The race will be very tough and we have to think carefully about the strategic decisions we have to make before and during the race."

RENAULT QUALIFYING REPORT - FISICHELLA 7TH, ALONSO 15TH  (TOP OF PAGE)

• The Renault F1 Team today experienced its most unusual qualifying session of the 2006 season so far, at Budapest's Hungaroring circuit.
• Superficially, with drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso starting seventh and fifteenth on the grid, the outcome appears to be a negative one; however, the complex technical and political background to this thirteenth qualifying session of the 2006 season (which included a mandatory two second penalty for Fernando in each part of qualifying) set them in a more positive light.
• With both drivers expecting to make up positions thanks to the consistent performance of the Michelin tyres in the unexpectedly cool conditions, the team seems set for a dynamic, attacking race tomorrow afternoon in what could prove to be the most topsy-turvy Grand Prix of the year so far.
• Giancarlo Fisichella, 7th position (following Button's engine penalty): "We said yesterday that the grip level was very low out on the circuit and with the cool temperatures continuing today, it hasn't changed much. The balance of the car on new tyres was a bit different in qualifying compared to practice and I struggled with low grip, but things felt much better when we had some fuel onboard in the final fuel-burning part of the session."
• "In terms of my timed laps in third qualifying, I put in one solid lap then made some mistakes on the second one, so couldn't improve my time. But I am on the clean side of the track for the start, and feeling very positive for tomorrow , much more so than in the last few races. The car is getting better and better with every lap we do this weekend, so I am expecting a fun race.
• Fernando Alonso, 15th position: "This was a really unusual qualifying session for me, but everything went well. It is a shame to have lost positions with the penalty, but now is the time to stop talking about it and look forward to making the most of the race. It hasn't changed anything for me, apart from the starting position, but with Michael penalised as well we have not lost so much."
• "We know the Renault is working well with the Michelin tyres because I was able to set competitive times, and I think it will be even better tomorrow. Nobody has really done any long runs at all yet this weekend, so it will be a learning experience for us all in the race. I have the feeling we will be quite strong thanks to the tyre consistency, so let's keep our fingers crossed, stay positive and focused, and see what the race brings."
• Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: "Giancarlo will have plenty of work to do tomorrow in making up ground from seventh on the grid, but the strong performance of the Michelin tyre meant we adjusted our strategy accordingly, so his relative position once we have taken fuel loads into account may not be as bad as it might seem."
• "As for Fernando, he was obviously limited in what he could achieve with the imposition of his two-second penalty. He did everything possible to mitigate its effects and put in some exceptional laps in the first two sessions. Once again, we hope the tyre consistency will pay for him tomorrow, and I hope his fight with Michael will be as enjoyable as if it had been happening at the front of the field.
• Denis Chevrier, Head of Trackside Engine Operations: "Even more than usual, the early stages of the qualifying session today served as the best clue as to the balance of power in terms of single-lap performance this weekend. The penalties applied to Fernando and Schumacher in the session have left us with the two strongest cars starting in the midfield , and the promise of a spectacular race."
• "The cornerstone of the team's work this weekend has been achieving strong race performance and concentrating on the management of our tyres. We believe we have found a good compromise and on the engine side, every session has run smoothly. Looking to tomorrow, there are still plenty of question marks , particularly in terms of the true race performance of our competitors and the weather. I think we can expect an action-packed afternoon."

FERRARI FRIDAY REPORT   (TOP OF PAGE)

• Jean Todt: "Here we are in Budapest where both the layout and the characteristics of the track surface are very reminiscent of the Monaco street circuit. Today's two hours of free practice revolved mainly around evaluating the Bridgestone tyres and, secondly, on car set-up. As usual, this track should evolve bit by bit as rubber gets put down on the racing line. It is up to our engineers and those at Bridgestone to carefully analyse the data to make the best choices for qualifying and the race."
• Felipe Massa: "Today, as usual, we have worked on evaluating the tyres and on finding the best set-up car for the car. The track is very dirty and so it was very difficult to drive. We will have to look at all the information we have very carefully to make the right choices for qualifying and, even more importantly, for the race."
• Michael Schumacher: "It is always hard to judge the results on Friday. We need to take a close look at the data to get a clearer picture of the situation. We spent a long time on track in the second hour and I was not able to keep an eye on what the other drivers were doing."
• "Overall, we can say that our car-engine-Bridgestone tyre package is good, but we don't know how competitive are the others. The low temperature is not a problem: the key is to choose the right tyre for qualifying and the race. Naturally, we hope to be at the front of the grid and I think we have a good chance of doing just that."
• Ross Brawn: "It was quite a difficult day as track conditions were still very green with not much rubber down and lower temperatures than usual for this time of year. This meant the tyres could not operate at their best and therefore, we have to make our tyre choice mainly based on how we predict the track could evolve."
• "We did not work so much on the cars, concentrating on the tyre choice. What is clear is that there is a lot of work to be done to find the best way of improving the overall performance of the package we have, in terms of preparing for Sunday's race."

RENAULT FRIDAY REPORT   (TOP OF PAGE)

• The Renault F1 Team began its Hungarian Grand Prix weekend with a competitive showing in Friday's free practice sessions, with Fernando Alonso finishing the day second on the timesheets and Giancarlo Fisichella third.
• The cool track temperatures combined with the low-grip surface of the little-used Hungaroring circuit meant both drivers struggled for grip, and experienced tyre graining. However, the engineers were able to make progress on stabilising the car balance with a number of set-up changes, and will continue to work in this direction tomorrow to achieve a neutral, driveable in race conditions for what is always one of the most physically-demanding Grands Prix of the season.
• Fernando Alonso: "It was a good start to the weekend for me. The conditions were very low grip today and that meant the car balance was quite inconsistent, but we managed to do our normal programme, get a feel for the tyre performance and start making some set-up changes. I was having some problems with the rear end to begin with, but we managed to calm it down during the session and we will carry on working in that direction tomorrow. The times seem competitive, so I think we are on the right track."
• Giancarlo Fisichella: "I had a problem on my first lap when the traction control cut out on the exit of turn 7 and I half-spun. But we fixed it in the garage, and after that started the normal programme. It's much colder than usual here in Hungary, and that means the conditions are very low grip indeed, coming from the track but also the tyres. The car was quite tricky to drive because of this, but we made some good changes and need to do some more overnight. It is going to be a difficult weekend because of the conditions, but we seem to be in reasonable shape."
• FRIDAY FOCUS: TYRE MANAGEMENT IN HUNGARY
• Tyre management has been a key theme of the 2006 world championship so far, and the unseasonally cool temperatures experience today and forecast for the rest of the weekend at the Hungaroring, have thrown a further spanner in the works for the teams.
• Typically, the race weekend in Hungary is among the hottest of the year, with high temperatures and lots of direct sunshine heating the circuit to temperatures of around 50C. Accordingly, tyres for the event were tested and selected in the balmy Mediterranean climes of Jerez and Paul Ricard. Today, however, track temperatures barely reached 25C with significant cloud cover preventing any warming of the track surface. And although sunny spells are forecast on Saturday and Sunday, the temperature of the asphalt is still unlikely to exceed 35C.
• All this means every driver is likely to encounter, and have to manage, the same problem: tyre graining. One cause of this phenomenon can be tyres operating in cooler temperatures than they were designed for; another can be low circuit grip which means the tyres' adhesion is not optimum. Both could be factors this weekend.
• "Tyre selection is a complex process," explains Renault's Executive Director of Engineering Pat Symonds. "Fundamentally, tyre choice for an event is centred around selecting the compound. A tyre's construction tends to be more universally applicable from circuit to circuit, but the compound must be chosen with knowledge of the energy the tyre must handle around an individual track."
• "The total energy is a function of how much work the tyre must do around the lap , how many high-speed corners there are, for example, or traction events. But the temperature of the circuit is also a factor. If we encounter significantly lower temperatures than we had expected, as is the case this weekend, then the compound is forced to operate outside the conditions it was designed for."
• In cooler conditions, with the tyre running outside its operating window, it is unable to generate the correct adhesive properties with the track surface. As a result, graining ensues when the tyre slides: the rubber literally shears off the tyre and rolls up on its surface, usually at the front but sometimes also the rear. Front graining means increased understeer, and gradually disappears as the tyres wear (which 'cleans up' the 'loose' rubber from the tread); rear graining will leave the drivers fighting oversteer.
• The same phenomenon occurs on a 'green' track for similar reasons: with little rubber on the racing line, the correct adhesive properties cannot be generated and graining follows , as can often be seen on the Friday of a Grand Prix meeting before any significant running has been done.
• So the key question may be, what can teams do to cope with the graining this weekend? "It is a problem we are familiar with from winter testing, which is usually conducted in much cooler temperatures," continues Symonds. "One of the keys is getting the tyres up to operating temperature as quickly as possible, but there are also a number of other tricks you can employ , for example, running with older, worn tyres which are less susceptible to graining than a brand new set.
• Typically, we would expect problems with graining to reduce as the weekend goes on, but the cool temperatures and likelihood of overnight rain means we may well encounter this phenomenon during Sunday's Grand Prix. It will be a case of coping with it as well as we can this weekend , and trying to minimise its impact on how we run our race."

TOYOTA FRIDAY REPORT   (TOP OF PAGE)

• HUNGARORING TWENTIES
• Panasonic Toyota Racing today began its preparations for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix in unusual conditions at the Hungaroring. Budapest in August usually guarantees extreme temperatures and one of the hottest grands prix of the season with track temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius. But this year the weather has played tricks on the teams, with overcast skies and both air and tarmac temperatures in the twenties. Overnight rain ensured that the track surface was green early on but both Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher put in two good sessions of work, finishing 6th and 7th. But the day was overshadowed by the big accident suffered by Toyota's former driver Cristiano da Matta in Champ Car testing at the American circuit of Elkhart Lake. When he was with Toyota Cristiano was always a fighter and everyone involved in the team wishes him the best as he fights for his recovery.
• Ralf Schumacher (Car 7, Chassis TF106/10B)
  First Session Classification: 17th, 5 laps completed
  Lap Time: 1m30.110s (+8.486s)
  Second Session Classification: 6th, 19 laps completed
  Lap Time: 1m23.747s (+1.969s)
• "It's unusual to see the Hungaroring in cool conditions like this so it was a difficult day for all of us because we were prepared for different temperatures. Tyre graining is always a problem in low temperatures like we had today but as rubber goes down over the rest of the weekend that should improve. We managed to go through all the work we needed today but it will be a long night to discuss what type of tyre we will pick for the next two days. At the last three races we've shown strong pace even if we haven't always converted that into results. Now we must look to score well before we head to the August break."
• Jarno Trulli (Car 8, Chassis TF106/08B)
  First Session Classification: 9th, 9 laps completed
  Lap Time: 1m24.620s (+2.996s)
  Second Session Classification: 7th, 18 laps completed
  Lap Time: 1m23.771s (+1.993s)
• "This is the first time I can remember seeing clouds in Hungary so it will be a very different weekend from usual here. Obviously when you choose tyres in advance you cannot predict the weather and you have to go with what you have seen during the last few years. That means the weather is an important variable this weekend, but at least we expect it to stay dry. Today there was low general grip and a lot of tyre degradation but it was difficult to draw too many conclusions. Still, I am hopeful because the combination of our chassis and our Bridgestone tyres has been working well in recent races."
• Dieter Gass - Chief Engineer Race and Test
  "Today was a positive day and we made it through our programme without any major issues. Because of the specialised nature of the Hungaroring we run a high downforce package here similar to what we use in Monaco. It's difficult to assess where we lie after these sessions but we have collected a lot of information on the tyres which should give us all we need to make the choice. The track usually approaches 50 degrees Celsius here so of course the temperatures are lower than expected. We will have to see how that affects performance as the weekend progresses. Today there was a lot of graining throughout the session which made it hard to work on the set-up but we will look through our data and see what to do tomorrow."

HONDA FRIDAY REPORT   (TOP OF PAGE)

• On an uncharacteristically cool and overcast day, the Honda Racing F1 Team had a solid start to their Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
• As usual, third driver Anthony Davidson concentrated on finding a good set-up direction for the RA106 race car and evaluating the tyres for this weekend. He completed 28 laps in the morning finishing 2nd fastest, and 31 laps this afternoon ending the day as the 5th fastest driver.
• Race drivers Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button completed short runs towards the end of the first practice hour, finishing 6th and 7th fastest respectively, before having a busier afternoon session when grip levels on the track had much improved. Rubens ended the day 13th covering 23 laps, with Jenson completing 20 laps to finish the afternoon session 14th.
• Anthony Davidson: "The temperatures here are much cooler than we expected which has made it a tough day for everyone. The tyres that we have for this race just aren't designed to be operating in this temperature window so we have to hope that the rest of the weekend gets warmer, then we can start to work the tyres properly."
• "All the drivers had the same problem, we're seeing a lot of graining which makes it difficult to set the car up properly. It wasn't about going fast today but saving the tyres and looking for a good balance. Still we were able to complete a lot of laps so we have some good information to look through before tomorrow."
• Rubens Barrichello: "It was quite a normal Friday today really except for the weather. The track will be very different on Saturday and Sunday but we had a reasonably competitive car today and should be able to adapt to that. My thoughts today are with my friend Cristiano da Matta who is in hospital in America and I wish him all the best."
• Jenson Button: "It's been a frustrating day for us today and the main problem is with the tyres. It's the same for everyone really in these conditions and the graining is causing some big issues. Anthony managed to complete some decent work this afternoon though so we'll just have to hear what he says and see how things look tomorrow."
• Gill de Ferran, Sporting Director: "We certainly expected for the weather to be much warmer this weekend and the unusually cool conditions are dominating the behaviour of our tyres, which in turn is having a great influence on the car balance."
• "Nevertheless, it has been a productive day for our team and we have collected a lot of data on the tyres and set-up changes. It does look like many of our competitors are dealing with similar issues therefore we will have to see how the conditions evolve and how we all adapt to that."

2006 RACE PREVIEW
BMW  BRIDGESTONE  HONDA  McLAREN  MICHELIN  RENAULT  SHELL  TOYOTA  WILLIAMS

FIA /F1 PREVIEW   (TOP OF PAGE)

• THE FRIDAY PREVIEW - ALONSO READY TO RETALIATE
• Fernando Alonso said yesterday that he is intent on winning this weekend on the circuit on which he scored his first victory three years ago. And he played down the role of Renault's controversial mass dampers while hitting the ball squarely into Michelin's court while discussing the battle with
  Ferrari and Bridgestone.
• "The mass damper did not affect anything at Hockenheim in the race," said the world champion. "The Renault engineers are working on it, whether we will use it here, and still talking and it will be their decision and it won't change anything. When you are driving, sometimes you notice it and
  sometimes you don't, depending on the circuit.
• "We saw very clearly (at Hockenheim) that we had a lot of rear problems with tyres that we didn't expect. We had some big blisters - and, you know, you can put as many mass dampers as you want but the rear blisters will be there anyway. So we did probably a bad compromise with rear end of the car and we had that mistake and it was unexpected. So we know what we can do for that
  and for here it will be much better."
• The R26 featured a revised rear suspension, and the team have reverted to the old set-up here to cure the blistering problem. With the wet weather so far, that won't be a problem anyway.
• Alonso continued, when asked about Renault's capacity to improve their car to Ferrari's level, and whether the rest of the championship depends only on the tyres: "I think mainly only on the tyres. I think Ferrari and Renault are at the maximum of the capacity of the car. I think car development has
  been constant all year and it's difficult to get something more from them. It can be a tenth or something like that but no more than that. I think the tyres are making a big difference every weekend and I think we are probably in Michelin's hands.
• "Every race is different and we saw in Canada we won the race and one week later in Indianapolis we were one second off so things change very quickly in Formula One. So I hope that things change that quickly again compared to last. We'll see what happens. We have full confidence in the car again and it should be much better and hopefully we are back in the fight.
• "I only consider the victory at the end of the weekend and it is all we have to do and we are all optimistic and confident in ourselves so I think we can do it this time. I think we will fight, it will be close but I think the next three races especially will be difficult for us. We will have no time to react, from Hockenheim, this race we will be struggling here as well, also in Turkey because there is no testing. But after that, I think maybe Monza will be a good circuit for Ferrari, it's high speed, but I'm really confident for the last three races. We have time to react, we have the capacity so I put my money on me."

RENAULT PREVIEW  (TOP OF PAGE)

McLAREN PREVIEW (TOP OF PAGE)

• Team McLaren Mercedes arrive in Eastern Europe this week looking to build on the podium secured by Kimi in Germany at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. The Hungaroring plays host to the event and is located approximately 20km north of Budapest, the circuit is set in a natural valley surrounded by rolling countryside.
• The race marks Kimi Raikkonen’s 100th Grand Prix start and is also the one year anniversary of Team McLaren Mercedes’ Partnership with Johnnie Walker. To celebrate these milestones, Johnnie Walker is hosting an event for the media on the Saturday of the Grand Prix at the Hungaroring and on Sunday a commemorative helmet will be revealed that Kimi will wear for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The race helmet will have gold leaf incorporated into the design, alluding to the current centenary year of Johnnie Walker Gold. Kimi will also be presented with a pair of unique racing boots by Johnnie Walker to mark the event.
• The race was introduced in 1986 at the modern facility which was built with Formula 1 in mind. Since the inaugural race, McLaren has won the event six times, the first of which was in 1988 with Ayrton Senna at the wheel. Recent years have seen success for the Team McLaren Mercedes team at the Hungaroring, with Mika Hakkinen securing two consecutive victories in 1999 and 2000 with David Coulthard also achieving podium finishes in both years. Last year, Kimi took a dominant victory for the team, having started the race from fourth position.
• The Hungarian Grand Prix is the second slowest race on the Formula One calendar. In the first race in 1986, drivers were shown the chequered flag one lap earlier than planned because the two-hour limit had been reached, even though there hadn’t been a drop of rain.
• Kimi Raikkonen: “The MP4-21 was definitely quicker in Germany than the previous race, and it had great balance. We have made a step forward and I am looking forward to getting back out on track again this weekend and racing for another podium finish. At the Hungaroring, the main factor is downforce, we don’t need to worry about aero efficiency or drag. This is as a result of all the slow, tight corners, and you will see all the cars running with maximum wing."
• "Overtaking here is tricky, nevertheless I passed two cars on the first lap last year. It is a bit better since they modified the first corner, but qualifying is very important, perhaps more so than at any other race apart from Monaco. Along with Monaco the Hungaroring is the most demanding in terms of engine cooling, as there are no real straights and the temperature is always so high. So we will run with bigger radiators and apertures to increase the cooling within the car."
• "The race has in the past been affected by the dusty track surface however they now have a truck that cleans up the dust beforehand so track conditions are more constant over the weekend, which makes set-up less tricky. The Hungarian race is like a home Grand Prix for me so I am always really looking forward to it, we get all the crazy Finnish fans that come down to watch the racing and I hope I can put in a great result for them. The car ran well in Monaco, so we will see. ”
• Pedro de la Rosa: “Of course for me it was a disappointing end to the race at Hockenheim, but the car felt really good and with the strategy I was running we could have been just behind Kimi at the end of the race. We get to race again already this weekend and hopefully I will be able to make the most of the pace we have found with the package."
• "The Hungaroring is characterised by slow, tight, twisty corners and it is also fairly short. As a result, it feels a lot like a karting track. With all the cornering and constant gear changing in the hot temperatures you have in Hungary at this time of year, it is a race of endurance, but all the testing of late has been in similar conditions so it will not be a problem physically."
• "The constant cornering also places a demand on the tyres, as this generates high temperatures, and this combined with the extreme track temperature has the potential to lead to issues with blistering. In addition there are a number of long duration corners that tend to put a lot of load on the rear."
• "We have been working with Michelin for this race over the past couple of tests, evaluating a range of compounds on track temperatures of over 50 degrees centigrade. We completed our programme with Michelin and are comfortable with the tyres we will have available to select from.”
• Martin Whitmarsh, CEO Formula One, Team McLaren Mercedes:
• “The feedback from the drivers over the course of the Mobil 1 German Grand Prix and the pace in the car that led to Kimi’s podium demonstrates that we are moving in the right direction with the MP4-21."
• "Hungary presents the team with a number of challenges, similar to those on the streets of Monaco such as cooling, high downforce, tyre degradation. One effect of these is that the car weight / fuel load is more significant on lap time than at the last three circuits. We see this weight effect at the Hungaroring because of the proportion of time spent cornering. This combined with the short pit lane certainly makes a three stop strategy more attractive for the event."
• "After this race Formula 1 enters a well deserved three week break prior to the Turkish Grand Prix at the end of August. Whilst this provides our race and test team with the opportunity to recharge batteries and spend time with their families, work will continue intensively in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart as we push forward with developing the 21.”
• Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
• “The Hungaroring has always been a special race for us and we have fond memories of our victory last year. Almost every year, the race in Hungary is one of the hottest with regard to the temperatures, on race day last August we had an ambient temperature of 36 degrees and a track temperature of almost 49 degrees. Chassis, cooling, tyres, engine and of course the drivers are often put to the most extreme test."
• "Qualifying and strategy will be particularly important here, because during the race there are almost no overtaking opportunities on the track, like in Monaco; however, as shown in Hockenheim, overtaking happens if an opponent suffers from tyre problems and the other driver copes better with the situation. With regards the track layout, there is a comparable characteristic with Monaco; there we were in good shape and it is our target to continue our positive trend in Hungary.”

BMW PREVIEW (TOP OF PAGE)

• No sooner had the BMW Sauber F1.06 cars returned to the pits after the Hockenheim GP than they were being packed up ready to set out in the early hours of Monday morning on their 1,000-kilometre journey east to Budapest, where the 13th of 18 World Championship races takes place this coming Sunday.
• The German and Hungarian Grands Prix are the fourth of a total of five back-to-back pairs of races in the 2006 Formula One season. This coupling could hardly be more of a contrast: whereas the Hockenheimring is renowned as an engine circuit, the full-throttle ratio on the tight and twisty Hungaroring is the second lowest of the season, and it demands maximum downforce.
• Nick Heidfeld: “I really enjoy Hungary. I like the Hungaroring and I like Budapest. It’s a wonderful old town with beautiful old buildings and there’s always something going on there. Budapest is a good place for going out and for eating. It was on the Hungaroring in 1999 that I claimed an early title win in Formula 3000, and we certainly celebrated that in true style. That’s something I like to think back on, naturally."
• "After Monaco, the circuit is the slowest on the Formula One calendar. It has a lot of turns and hardly any straights. The circuit layout in itself makes driving there a strain, and at this time of year it tends to be very hot in Budapest. Away from the racing line the circuit is always really dirty and it’s easy to lose time. It’s extremely difficult to overtake there.”
• Jacques Villeneuve: “I have some good memories of the track as I have won there. I always sleep in the motorhome at the track so I don’t have many memories of the city. It is always a very physical and long race, and it is exhausting. They have not made much of a change to the circuit and it has not made it any more interesting to drive. I’m not sure how competitive we will be. This is the one track we have got left to go to this season that is a bit of a worry for me.”
• Robert Kubica: “I have competed there once, in 2001 in my first year of racing in Formula Renault, and actually it was my first race when I got closer to the pace. It’s a ‘Mickey Mouse’ track, stop and go all the time. I have never driven a Formula One car there. I went there in 1997 – it was the first and last Grand Prix I visited as a spectator. I said to everybody: I don’t like to watch and I will never go to another Grand Prix unless I am driving. It’s funny, I was twelve, and Jacques won there, and now we’re working together. So life has changed.”
• Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
• “Two races in eight days is always a huge strain. A lot of the crew don’t even make it home between GPs. Dismantling, assembly, vehicle preparation and transportation all have to be done under intense time pressure. There’s no time for testing. In terms of its full-throttle percentage, the Hungaroring barely rates higher than Monaco."
• "But in Budapest we’ve often had to contend with extreme thermal loads on the engines. The heat builds up in the depressions of the race track, and there’s no long straight either. Cool air is in short supply. After the races in Hockenheim and Budapest, Formula One will take a well-earned rest. The next test sessions don’t start until after the Turkish Grand Prix.”
• Willy Rampf, Technical Director:
• “Even after switching to the smaller V8 engines, this tortuous circuit demands maximum downforce. The track takes on a lot of sand every day and grip is low as a result, which can cause understeer. Generally the choice is in favour of soft tyre compounds. When it comes to set-up, you have to focus on the second sector with its many medium- fast corner combinations."
• "Cooling is invariably an issue in Hungary: on the one hand it’s due to the high air temperatures you usually get there, on the other hand there are hardly any passing opportunities, so you often get several cars slipstreaming behind one another. That doesn’t allow for much cooling air either.”

SHELL PREVIEW (TOP OF PAGE)

HONDA PREVIEW (TOP OF PAGE)

WILLIAMS PREVIEW (TOP OF PAGE)

• The thirteenth round of the season takes Formula One to the beautiful city of Budapest for the 21st Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, Sunday 6 August. Hungary has been a regular fixture on the Formula One calendar since its debut in 1986 and was the first Grand Prix to take place in Eastern Europe. Located just 20 miles to the north east of the city on the edge of Mogyorod, the track itself is nestled within the Three Springs Valley and offers some of the best spectator viewing facilities of the season.
• With a record seven race wins, including two one-two victories, Williams has won more races in Hungary than any other team in the history of the sport. For the last race prior to the three week summer break, the team are determined to capitalise upon the upturn in performance demonstrated in Germany and secure a points finish.
• Between the races
• The second leg of a double header, time between the German and Hungarian Grands Prix has been limited so both drivers have taken the opportunity to head home for a few short days' break. Nico is spending a couple of days with his parents in Zell am See, in Austria, while team mate, Mark, has returned to his home in the UK.
• Making the car go faster
• With no scope for any track testing between the two races, the team will be relying upon work undertaken at the last two Jerez tests and data accrued from extensive testing carried out in the two wind tunnels. In anticipation of the track's twisty nature and lack of long straights, both FW28s will utilise the maximum downforce aero package in Budapest. This is similar to the Monaco level that was extremely competitive for Williams, but with some further revisions to the engine cover, rear wing and ancillary wings.
• Hungary from a technical perspective
• In stark contrast to Hockenheim, the Hungaroring is a tight and twisty race track at which the drivers have to manage 16 slow speed corners in just one 4.3km lap. Combined with some of the shortest straights seen on the calendar, a maximum downforce package and a well balanced car for riding the kerbs is essential to achieve a competitive lap time.
• Engines will enjoy some comparative respite this weekend as the cars will rev at full throttle for a maximum of 51% of the lap while average speeds will range between just 90km/h and 300km/h. Torque will, however, be a critical requirement of the engine to power the cars out of such slow speed corners, as will good mechanical grip and good traction.
• Another effect of the corner sequencing will see the tyres experience intense thermal loads in Hungary as repetitive braking, cornering and acceleration events over the 70 lap race will leave little opportunity for cooling. Together with the high ambient temperatures common to Hungary which will push track temperatures in excess of 50°C, the tyre war will be at its peak this weekend.
• Dust can also cause problems at the Hungarian Grand Prix, particularly for the tyre selection, as the dirty track at the start of the race weekend distorts the data ahead of qualifying. Although the circuit evolves throughout the weekend, the track offers little grip off the racing line so the opportunities for overtaking during the race are few and always risky. Qualifying position and pit-stop strategy could therefore define the race result.
• Mark Webber: "Budapest is usually a tough race for the teams because it is hard to overtake even though the track layout has changed a little bit. The races are generally based on attrition while qualifying well is also crucial. Our car might be reasonably well suited to the track, but we'll see how our tyre selection goes. Although we didn't score points at Hockenheim, the car is working better so we'll be looking to improve upon our reliability and get in the top eight this weekend."
• "The weather is always nice and hot at Budapest, especially at the circuit where the temperatures can really ramp up as there's no breeze. This, in turn, presents the drivers with a tough challenge as the lap is very busy, meaning lots of corners and short straights, so fitness is very important, as is the correct hydration preparation. I enjoy Budapest a lot , we don't have many races that are so close to a city so it's always nice to get back from the circuit at a sensible time each evening and to soak up the atmosphere of a busy city."
• Nico Rosberg: "We expect to have a good race at the Hungaroring because it has similar characteristics to the Monaco track, where we were very strong this year. In addition to that, we showed that we have made some improvements in Hockenheim and we hope to carry on that momentum. Hungary is a track I like and I was fastest there last year in GP2, a whole second ahead of everyone else. We should expect very high temperatures for this race, but we have been racing in hot conditions so many times this season I am getting used to the extreme heat."
• Sam Michael, Technical Director, WilliamsF1: "Hungaroring is a particularly technical circuit where it is crucial for the driver to find a good rhythm round the lap as the corners come in quick succession. The track's configuration demands maximum downforce while set-up must take into account the propensity for some understeer. Throughout the race weekend, track conditions change a lot more than is usually the case as more and more rubber goes down from the cars during the practice sessions."
• "Changing conditions mean the engineers will be chasing a perfect set-up in time for qualifying while, due to the lack of overtaking opportunities, a good balance is also essential. The FW28 showed a definite performance improvement in Germany which we hope to improve upon in Hungary, a track we've traditionally enjoyed success at."
• Chris Jilbert, Principal Engineer, F1 Race Engineering, Cosworth:
• "Both Mark and Nico will have fresh Cosworth CA2006 engines for the forthcoming Grand Prix in Hungary. Although it is not a particularly demanding circuit for the engine, the Hungaroring presents some unique driveability challenges for our calibration engineers. Following the disappointments of the German Grand Prix, we are looking forward to another strong performance, hopefully with a more rewarding ending!"

TOYOTA PREVIEW (TOP OF PAGE)

• This coming weekend the city of Budapest will play host to the 21st Hungarian Grand Prix taking place at the Hungoraring since 1986. The Hungaroring is a twisty circuit that is notoriously difficult for overtaking and a testing circuit for the engineers because of the extreme heat and the subsequent high system temperatures that need to be kept in check.
• With 14 corners, few straights and extreme heat, Panasonic Toyota Racing's drivers Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli will put their fitness training to the test at this grand prix, all the while competing for points, which have become increasingly precious. The team heads to the Hungarian Grand Prix looking to consolidate its position of 5th in the constructors' championship.
• Ralf Schumacher: "Budapest is a beautiful city that I always like returning to for the race. There are plenty of things to do and see waysides of the track. The race itself has always been one of my favourites on the calendar, especially because there are so many fans there."
• "One thing is always certain at this race and that is the extreme heat. You have to be really fit to drive in such high temperatures and still be able to concentrate at the end of the race."
• "The Hungaroring is known for being one of the hardest circuits for overtaking, so it will be very important for us to secure a good grid position. Last year at this race I took my first podium with Toyota and I am hoping that we can repeat these results again this year."
• Jarno Trulli: "After my race at Hockenheim, I'll be looking for a better finish in Hungary. I am not too familiar with the city of Budapest, but I have heard that many drivers like the nightlife outside of the track."
• "I am sure we can expect another very hot weekend and therefore it will be very important for us to make sure the car's entire system temperatures are monitored and kept in line. The track is also challenging because it is very narrow, with lots of corners and although it's very difficult for overtaking it is still quite a fun circuit to drive."
• "The track is known to be dusty but this can change as the dust blows around, thus making it quite tricky to get the car handling well and going quickly. We had good results here last year."
• Pascal Vasselon, Senior General Manager Chassis:
• "The Hungaroring is very similar to Monaco in that qualifying pays an extremely important role as overtaking is notoriously difficult. Additionally, average speed and average brake temperatures are comparable to the Monaco Grand Prix."
• "Whereas Monaco keeps the drivers awake with so many gear changes and braking maneouvres, the Hungaroring can be taxing for them due to the 14 corners in every lap and extreme temperatures reaching up to 35 degrees Celsius."
• "Not only the drivers, but also the engineers have a challenging job setting up the car and making sure that air temperatures do not have an effect on the its running. All the temperatures inside the car rise dramatically in these conditions , engine, brakes, gearbox , so we have to monitor this carefully."

BRIDGESTONE RACE PREVIEW (TOP OF PAGE)

MICHELIN RACE PREVIEW (TOP OF PAGE)

• FIERCELY HOT... AND RELENTLESSLY TWISTY
• This season marks the 20th anniversary of the inaugural Hungarian Grand Prix, which made history as the first Formula One world championship event to take place in eastern Europe. Nelson Piquet (Williams Honda) won that landmark race on August 10 1986 and the tight, dusty character of the Hungaroring (the circuit lies a short distance from capital city Budapest) has changed little during the intervening years.
• A few subtle layout changes have been made, however. The most significant occurred in 2003, when the pit straight was extended and the profile of the first corner altered in a bid to provide greater scope for overtaking. Despite this, passing opportunities remain at a premium.
• Physically, this is one of the most demanding races of the season. Raceday temperatures are traditionally among the hottest in Europe and the circuit's relentless twists and turns give drivers precious little chance to pause for breath.
• This will be the 21st Hungarian GP but Michelin has participated only in the most recent five. It has won twice: in 2003 Fernando Alonso (Renault) scored the company's maiden victory here, becoming the F1 world championship's youngest winner in the process, and last season Kimi Räikkönen triumphed for Team McLaren Mercedes.
• Michelin's view
  Nick Shorrock, Formula One director, Michelin:
• "The European Formula One season continues apace, with Budapest falling just one weekend after Hockenheim. The track surface here is a little smoother than that in Germany and features many tight corners, so average speeds are relatively low."
• "The track is used less frequently than many others on the F1 calendar and, consequently, tends to be very dusty and dirty at the start of the grand prix weekend. The teams have to do quite a bit of running to clean up the surface and initially it will be difficult to achieve satisfactory grip."
• "The labyrinthine nature of the track makes it demanding for tyres and it is imperative to generate good traction. The ambient temperature tends to be high so we need to deliver strong first-lap performance while protecting the tyres against the possibility of blistering.
• "We are now more than two thirds of the way through the season but there has been absolutely no let-up in our preparations. Tyres for this event were initially selected during a very intense series of tests at Jerez, Spain, in week 29, but we kept open a window so that teams had the possibility to revise their decision after the German GP. Thanks to the rapid response of our production team at Clermont-Ferrand, we were able to make some adjustments once we'd analysed last weekend's Hockenheim data."
• "We will have a wide variety of different products available (a mixture of 'primes' and 'options') in Budapest and the diverse blend of casings and compounds means that almost every team has an individual choice that is designed to optimise its overall car and tyre package."
• "The continual need for development has led us to strengthen our team further so we can work with our partners to identify all potential areas of progress - and reaction times have to be swift because the timescales are incredibly tight at the height of the season. Despite this, however, we have been able to act on vital data gathered during the past couple of grands prix."
• Team perspective:
  Martin Whitmarsh, CEO Formula One, McLaren Mercedes:
• "Teams need to run a significant amount of downforce at this tight, twisting track, where tyres play a key role. The constant cornering generates high tyre temperatures and this, combined with the extreme heat we tend to experience in Hungary at this time of year, has the potential to cause blistering issues."
• "The McLaren Mercedes test team evaluated a range of compounds with Michelin at Jerez recently and the daily track temperature averaged 50 degrees - perfect test conditions for the Hungarian Grand Prix. We completed our programme and are comfortable with the tyre options we have available."
• "Qualifying is another key factor for this race. Overtaking opportunities are limited, but the short pit lane opens a number of strategy options and we might see some interesting tactical approaches on Saturday."

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