Hungarian GP Preview- Hat-trick chasing Hamilton at his favourite race
Hamilton feels right at home
Lewis Hamilton is seeking to win his 5th Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend as he, once again, looks to reel in Nico Rosberg after a bout of bad luck. Hamilton’s qualifying brake disc failure, which allowed the German to take pole and claim an easy victory in Germany last week, was the latest in a line of car issues and driver errors in qualifying. But the Budapest track is a place where he excels.
The Brit has won the race in 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2013, with his latest success being his first win for Mercedes. A victory on Sunday would make him the most successful driver to ever race at the track, surpassing Michael Schumacher’s four wins. The circuit is suited to Hamilton’s aggressive style and it is no secret that he feels completely at home here. It is the perfect setting to claw some points back in the title race and head into a four week summer break with the momentum.
Rosberg wins his home grand prix at Hockenheim for Mercedes
For Rosberg, after his success in Germany he will be concentrating on retaining the championship lead.He may need to accept Hamilton's superiority this weekend as his consistency remains key to the outcome of the championship battle.
However, at the risk of writing the German off already, he will argue that in Canada, another Hamilton favourite, he stuck the car on pole and went on to drag his car to 2nd after both Mercedes suffered mechanical problems. He will be confident of another upset this weekend, so it is set for another cracker.
The Track
Lewis Hamilton wins 2012 Hungary F1 GP for McLaren
Budapest is renowned for being a tough place to overtake. It’s narrow and twisty layout has meant that it has been compared to street circuits in the past. The two DRS zones will hopefully contribute to another classic but they rarely have much of an affect.
The first is on the pit straight, heading into turn one. While the second immediately follows and heads into turn two. A brave move into the tight chicane is the only other overtaking opportunity
Qualifying will be even more crucial to success this weekend, so the spot light will be on Hamilton to see if he can finally atone for his recent errors. On race day he is mighty, but Rosberg has the edge on Saturdays.
Tyre-wear is likely to be high, as the race is normally run in blisteringly hot conditions. Despite the low stress on brakes and engines, Pirelli are supplying the white medium and yellow soft tyres this weekend. If a Mercedes driver hooks the soft tyres up correctly, there is every chance that Michael Schumacher’s ten year old lap record could be broken.
Track information
Laps- 70
Length- 4.381 KM
Lap Record- Michael Schumacher (2004), 1:19.071s
Predictions
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will fight it out again but this time the crystal ball is firmly in Hamilton’s favour. Second for Rosberg wouldn't be a disaster.
Williams team celebration after podium in Austria
Red Bull will fancy their chances at a track that suits their car’s aerodynamic advantage, while Williams will be hoping to continue their impressive recent form. Valtteri Bottas should be best of the rest again, but the fight between Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso is a mouth-watering prospect once again.
Further down, Force India may struggle without their power advantage, while Toro Rosso could do well.
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