Hungarian GP: Preview – Ferrari

The Formula 1 World Championship arrives in Hungary for its eleventh round, marking the middle of the season. The Hungaroring first appeared in the calendar in 1986 and has been a constant ever since. Last year it was the third round of the season and now it is returning to its traditional place before the summer break.

The Hungarian route is only a few kilometers from the center of Budapest and is rarely used, which is why the route for Friday training is usually very dirty. Although it is only 4.381 kilometers long, it has no fewer than 14 corners, 8 on the right and 6 on the left. The start-finish straight offers the best opportunity to overtake on the descent to turn 1, a downhill right-hand bend. After a few hundred meters, the second bend also goes downhill, but this time to the left, which offers another possible overtaking point. Turn 4 marks the start of the twisty section that requires cars to be in a high-downforce aero setup. It has a slow chicane and two hairpin turns towards the end of the lap that lead onto the main straight.

After the experimental schedule for the Sprint Qualifying format at Silverstone, it’s back to normal this weekend. The cars will take to the track on Friday at 11.30 a.m. local time for the first hour of free practice, followed by the second at 3 p.m. The last hour of free practice in preparation for qualifying begins on Saturday at 3 p.m. At the same time, the Formula 1 Grand Prix starts on Sunday.

Ferrari in Hungary

GP entered 35

Debut 1986 (S. Johansson 4th; M. Alboreto ret.)

Win 7 (20%)

Pole positions 8 (22.86%)

Fastest laps 9 (25.71%)

Total platforms 25 (23.81%)

Hungarian Grand Prix – Facts and Figures

14. Farthest back on the grid from which the Hungarian Grand Prix was won. Jenson Button was the driver in question in a 2006 rain-hit race. Nigel Mansell’s drive from the 12th to victory in dry conditions at the wheel of the Ferrari F1-89 was even more unforgettable. The key move was the Englishman’s passport to Ayrton Senna when the Brazilian hesitated as he circled Stefan Johansson in the onyx.

16. The racetracks that have only hosted one Grand Prix with a single name. Monte Carlo holds the record with its 67 Monaco Grand Prix, while the Hungaroring is the only venue for all 35 editions of the Hungarian race in second place. Third on this list is Zandvoort, which has hosted the Dutch GP 30 times, with the 31st scheduled for September 5th.

20. Average number of overtakes at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Hungaroring actually held some exciting races with many changes of position, but it was also the scene of some rather boring races. In 2002 there was only one round; 2001 two and five more times three. In 2014, however, there were no fewer than 49, in 2011 47 and in the first edition in 1986 there were 44.

1300. The number of thermal springs recorded in Hungary with around 300 different types of water. Budapest has more health and wellbeing spas – over 130 – than any other European city.

350,000,000. The number of Rubik’s Cubes (Rubik-kocka in Hungarian) were sold worldwide until 2009. The famous puzzle was invented in Budapest in 1974 by the architecture professor and sculptor Erno Rubik. It is considered to be the most popular one-person game in the world.

This week in Ferrari history

28/7. Luigi Musso was born in Rome in 1924. His interest in motorsport was aroused by his older brothers at a young age and he quickly became aware of himself. He was the last of an extraordinary generation of Italian drivers from the 1950s. He won once in Formula 1, at the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix behind the wheel of a Ferrari D50. The following year he finished third in the championship with the 801. Musso also drove sports cars for the Scuderia and won the Targa Florio in a factory 250 Testa Rossa in 1958, together with the Belgian Olivier Gendebien. Musso lost his life at the French Grand Prix that same year.

29/7. In 1951 Alberto Ascari took his first Formula 1 victory, the German Grand Prix, behind the wheel of a 375 F1. It was Scuderia Ferrari’s second victory. In second place follows Jose Froilan Gonzalez, who had given the team its first victory at Silverstone a few weeks earlier. Germany was the team’s first double victory in Formula 1.

30/7. In Hungary, Scuderia Ferrari celebrated its 83rd double victory in Formula 1 in 2017 thanks to Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen, who ensured a pure Ferrari front row in qualifying with the SF70H.

31/7. In 1994, Gerhard Berger scored Scuderia Ferrari’s first victory in three years. The Austrian led the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim from the first to the last lap at the wheel of a 412 T1.

1/8. In 1999, perfect teamwork delivered the best possible result at the German Grand Prix. In Hockenheim, Mika Salo was behind the wheel of the number 3 F399 and was replacing the injured Michael Schumacher. The Finn did an amazing job in the first part of the race to prepare his teammate Eddie Irvine for victory as he battled for the world title with Mika Häkkinen. After letting Irvine pass, Salo followed him home to claim the Scuderia’s 45th one-two.