FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[scotty]

So, the halfway point has just been passed. I think this could be an interesting race (or race weekend, rather) - the McLarens and Ferraris should do better due to the slow track, but the high temperatures will no doubt suit Brawn, Ferrari and Toyota. Red Bull will no doubt be in the mix too, as usual... Also we have one, potentially two new drivers coming in!

Predictions folks?

[stonemonkey]

Nelson Piquet's gone well there in the past with a couple of wins so........ Damn, wrong one.

Button for the win, Lewis and Kimi into the points and the Red Bulls are gonna take each other out on lap 3 resulting in a big pitlane scrap leaving Webber and Vettel as bitter enemies.

Well, not sure about that bit about the Red Bulls.

[7UpJordan]

Williams will be good here. Whilst the FW31 is quick on every track now, it still comes into its own on the tight circuits. At Monaco this year Nico was capable of getting pole position, maybe here he can have another chance at getting on the front row.

[cap-dude]

I think this could be one of the closest races yet.

Williams, Ferrari and McLaren should go that bit faster this weekend, bringing them dangerously close to Brawn and Red Bull. Not only that, Toyota go well at Hungary every year. Really if Brawn are off pace again this weekend, they'll be swallowed right up by the mid-fielders.

But I doubt Brawn will be off the pace again, because of the raft of updates they're bringing along with them. But really, I think it'll be closely contested between Red Bull and Brawn, with one of the mid fielders perhaps having a look in during quali. Massa hopefully. He deserves it after what happened last year.

[bud]

I dont see Brawn making any gains here, Redbull 1-2 though!

[Big Azza]

Well, this circuit is a lot like Catalunya and Monaco. So if that's anything to go by:

It wil be a Red Bull/Brawn/Ferrari battle. I'm hoping for a Red Bull 1-2.

[bud]

if the cars were in Monaco spec still then yes a lot of updates since then.

[scotty]

McLaren eyeing victory in Hungary

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, July 16th 2009, 10:48 GMT

McLaren thinks it will have a car capable of going for victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix thanks to the major step forward it made in Germany last weekend.

An upgraded floor and front wing helped lift the performance of the MP4-24 by around 0.7 seconds per lap at the Nurburgring, and hopes have been lifted about its pace for the rest of the season.

With the Hungaroring characteristics expected to play to the strengths of the car, hopes are high that the team can set its sight on ending the dominance by Brawn GP and Red Bull Racing.

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh said that McLaren approached every race hoping to win - but believed Hungary offered it a genuine chance.

"There was some progress in Germany and we have to make sure that we keep pushing and have better results in the next race," he told AUTOSPORT. "We always go for the victory, but we don't always have the equipment to go for it. Hopefully in Hungary we will have the equipment to really go for it."

Although McLaren has already begun shifting resources onto its 2010 car, which will look dramatically different from this year's machine, Whitmarsh made it clear that the team would not ease off current development.

"We aren't going to win this year's world championship and we have to do a better job next year," he said. "We have got a lot more effort on next year's programme that we did this time last year, but we have to make sure we don't get distracted

"Have we transformed the car into a race winner? Not quite. Have we made some progress? Yes. Does it demonstrate some of the philosophy that is going into next year's car is the right direction? I think it does. So that is encouraging. We have to make sure we focus on that.

"We will continue to develop this car. We have completely changed the aerodynamic philosophy, the aero flow around the car, and although I am not an aerodynamicist I can see in the data that the guys now are finding performance.

"So we have a fresh start, we have a better baseline and the ability now to develop the car – so I think the car will develop quite a lot in the rest of this year.

"We have to make sure that we invest that development in areas that improve our learning and hopefully lead into the development of next year's car, rather than some of the fiddly bits on this year's car which won't help us next year."

Speaking about the progress with the 2010 machine, Whitmarsh said: "Next year's car is already quite a bit different.

"It is quite a bit different because of the absence of refuelling, but it was also clear to us that next year's car had to be quite a bit different to this year's car.

"You become less risk averse if you are slow – so we are very aggressively attacking next year. If we had at the beginning of this year a highly competitive car you inevitably become cautious in the development of that for next year, but we already decided that whatever happens, next year's car is going to look quite a bit different from this one."

[Frosty]

I reckon the new driver JA will not do so well because of lack of experience.

[emma]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a Red Bull 1-2, but I think conditions will suit the Brawns, so RBR are gonna have a fight on their hands for the win. I think they'll also need to keep an eye out for some of the other teams.

[scotty]

if the cars were in Monaco spec still then yes a lot of updates since then.

If it turns out that Red Bull are quicker than Brawn here, then their big update must've been far better than anyone imagined... if they are faster then i'm sticking £10 on Vettel and Webber for the title, Webber is 9-1!

[pilotfriend]

I have begun to wonder how in recent years, the championship goes 'down to the wire'. Those who host GPs at the end of the season must be understandably concerned about their entrance gate if the championship has been decided earlier.

Considering that the whole Formula 1 is now rotten to the core, I suspect that Bernie has a 'secret zapper' that he can employ which slightly disables any car that is too far ahead.

[Gaz]

I dont see Brawn making any gains here, Redbull 1-2 though!

Red Bull 1-2

More like a Mclaren 1-2

COME ON!!

[McLaren Fan]

McLaren are definitely in with a shout in Hungary. Depending upon how the others develop their cars etc, this could be the team's best chance of a win (even better a chance than at Monaco because of the new parts on the car).

If Red Bull win the next Grand Prix, or even come close to Brawn's performance, the latter's title bid looks to be in serious doubts. Although Brawn's car's design philosophy should suit the Hungaroring the better, with no cash to develop the car, they could be in trouble, and probably will be before too many more Grand Prix.

[Rivelution]

I hate this track.