BMW WilliamsF1 Hungarian GP Preview
Pizzonia in 2004
By BMW WilliamsF1 Team
July 25 2005
After the further disappointment of the German Grand Prix the BMW WilliamsF1 team must quickly regroup for this weekends Hungarian GP. The team is confident of a better showing at this race as the improvements for the FW27, of which their will be further for this race, start to produce results.
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Grand Prix: Hungaroring |
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The Hungarian Grand Prix has been staged since 1986 and 2005 is its 20th
anniversary this year. The circuit has undergone repeated modifications,
most
recently for the 2003 GP when the circuit was extended from 3.975 kilometres
to
4.381 km. The current variant is the longest Hungaroring in history. Even
the
original course (1986 to 1988) covered a distance of just 4.014 kilometres.
The
Hungaroring is situated about 20 minutes’ drive northeast of the city
centre.
Before the inauguration of the current Formula One World Championship, just
one race was held in a park on the outskirts of Budapest in 1936. It was won
by Tazio Nuvolari in an Alfa Romeo.
WilliamsF1 won the first Hungarian Grand Prix in 1986 with Nelson Piquet and
has claimed victory in seven of the 19 GPs held there. Nigel Mansell secured
his title in Hungary in 1992. The best results achieved by the BMW
WilliamsF1 Team on the Hungaroring are two third places (2002 and 2003). |
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| Race
Preview: |
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Budapest marks the 13th
round of the Formula One World Championship, the last of seven meetings
concentrated into a ten week period. After such a focused
period of racing, the teams will be rewarded with a clear fortnight’s
break before racing recommences with Formula One’s first visit to
Turkey.
Following the team’s strong performance at the start of the seven race
calendar in Monaco and given the similar low-downforce characteristics
of the Hungaroring, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team are anticipating an improved
showing in Budapest.
Mark Webber:
"The Hungaroring has been a
pretty good track for me in the past and while some
drivers aren’t that keen, I like competing there. I find it a challenge,
a bit like Monte Carlo, making it a very busy track for a driver,
although there isn’t much overtaking. Characteristically, it’s quite a
hot race and the track changes a lot over the course of the weekend. It
starts extremely dirty on Friday as a consequence of not being used much
during the year, but it cleans pretty quickly on the first day.
Qualifying then becomes crucial because of the difficulty in overtaking.
Also starting on the left hand side of the grid is very important
because if you are on the right you have no grip at all. So there are
lot of things which are very specific to the track in Budapest, which
all the teams know. You need very good aerodynamic downforce to cope
with all of the corners as well as understanding the tyres very well. I
am looking forward to going there, also because we are always welcomed
very well in Budapest. It’s a beautiful city and when I find time, I’ve
promised to visit in the city in winter."
Nick Heidfeld:
"I like racing at the Hungaroring a lot. The circuit has many corners
and very little straights. That alone makes the racing physically tough.
On top of that at this time of the year it is usually very hot in
Budapest. The track off the line is always very dusty which means you
loose time as soon as you leave the clean part of it. I have very good
memories to the Hungaroring. I have not only won races but also claimed
the Formula 3000 Championship there in 1999."
Sam Michael Technical Director:
"Hungaroring
is a technical circuit where it is crucial for the driver to get a good
rhythm as the corners flow from one to another. It's a maximum downforce
circuit where understeer can be an issue, so the setup must account for
this fact. During the race weekend, the track changes a lot more than is
usually the case as more and more rubber goes down from the F1 cars
during practice.
We have a couple of aerodynamic improvements to the FW27 that have to
come
directly from the wind tunnel given the current testing ban. Michelin
will bring two solid race tyres, tested in Jerez before the last GP. We
are confident of improved performance in the car as we started to see
over the last GP."
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Dr Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"At
48 percent per lap, the Hungaroring has the second-lowest full-throttle
ratio of the season after Monaco. In Budapest it’s the thermal
conditions that drive the engines to the limits of endurance. In the
high summer temperatures we usually experienced there, the valley in
which the circuit lies generates a major build-up of heat. In addition,
with the absence of long straights there’s always the threat of
insufficient cooling air. Depending on the actual temperatures, the
cooling air outlets will be adjusted during free practice. Big openings
lower the engine’s temperature significantly, but compromise the
aerodynamics. Based on the data recorded on Saturday and on the weather
forecast for Sunday, we will find the best compromise.
"The Hungarian Grand Prix marks the end of a gruelling and demanding
period of
the 2005 Word Championship. The Grand Prix will be the eighth race
within a ten
week period. It will be followed by two GP-free weekends and a test ban
lasting until the end of August– a break deserved by all the team."
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