By role
August 9 2004

Renault F1 driver Fernando Alonso is looking forward to the Hungarian Grand Prix. A race that brings the driver with fond memories of his win there last year in a race where he led from start to finish and was able to lap both his teammate Jarno Trulli and 2003 World Champion Michael Schumacher. ”It is going to be a special race for me I think. This was always one of my favourite circuits anyway, and it is a nice feeling to look back and remember last year. I am feeling confident: we were fast in Hungary in 2003, we have been fast with maximum downforce already this season in Monaco, so I hope we can have a good race, and maybe be in with a chance to win.” He said.
Alonso believes that the track it is fun to drive in and mainly based on the style of the cornesr:
”It is the style of the corners. They are quite slow, but very difficult to get right for the entire lap: you need a very precise style. Also, there are series of four or five corners where if you get one line wrong, it affects all the next corners too, so you cannot make any small mistakes. Plus it is high grip on the racing line, and very low grip and dusty off it. You can attack in some parts of the circuit, and need to be more cautious in others. The demands make it a big test for a driver.” He added.
A lot of effort will have to be placed on the car in order to get the perfect balance and the best configuration for the qualifying and the race:
“Mechanical grip is the area we look at a lot. The downforce is at maximum, and the engine needs good torque but maximum power is not so important. So what we really need to look at is mechanical grip through the slow corners and also good traction out of them. The other thing we need to work hard on is the tyres: you have to look after them more in Hungary than at Monaco. But I am confident we will bring good tyres, and am happy with the choice that we have made.” He concluded.