Hungarian Grand Prix: Pre Race Quotes
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Jul 28, 2008
Honda Racing F1
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2007 Qualifying - 1st, 2007 Race - 1st
“Hungary is very different from Germany; Hockenheim is a track that allows you to slipstream and pass other drivers fairly easily, the Hungaroring is the opposite of that. Qualifying will be crucial, and strategy will also be important in determining the optimum fuel-weight for the opening stint. It will be hot and tiring too, so keeping your focus and concentration will be vital. I don’t go into this weekend surfing any particular wave of confidence: it’s such a different type of circuit that it’s difficult for anybody to feel certain about their chances.
“I’m wary about making any strong predictions; yes, we were strong in the last two races, but we encountered difficulties in the two before that, so it’s impossible to call it this weekend. All I can say is that our car feels fantastic at the moment and I’m really enjoying driving it: it feels like you can keep fine-tuning it to extract more performance from it, which is a fantastic feeling for any racing driver.
“It’s easy to say that you’ll treat each race with a certain amount of respect. But the reality is that I haven’t changed my style: it seems to work for me and I enjoy pushing hard to achieve a good result. That’s when I feel I am operating at my maximum and it’s potentially dangerous to start thinking about changing your approach at this point in the season. I’ll be honest: my approach has served me fairly well so far and I’d need to give it some serious thought before attempting to change it. Let’s just say it will be business as usual in Hungary this weekend.”
Fernando Alonso, Renault
2007 Qualifying - 6th, 2007 Race - 4th
“I won my first Formula One race at this circuit with the Renault F1 Team in 2003 and it’s a place were I have always gone well. So I’m happy to go back there again this year and determined to bounce back after my result in Germany. I have some great memories here and the race usually takes place around the time of my birthday. There are always lots of spectators, the people are very kind, and we always enjoy a warm welcome - that is why the paddock enjoys coming back to Budapest each year.
“It’s quite a demanding track and the temperatures are often quite high for the race, which makes things even more difficult, especially for the drivers and the mechanics. To be quick here you need very high levels of downforce, as well as good grip and traction to get performance out of the low-speed corners. So we will begin working on these things as soon as free practice begins on Friday, building on the information we learnt last week in Jerez.”
Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber
2007 Qualifying - 7th, 2007 Race - 5th
“For sure we can expect a lot of Polish fans in Budapest. The Hungarian Grand Prix is the closest race to my home country, so in some way it is my home race. The Hungaroring is the track where I had my first Formula One race in 2006. As a driver you always have a special relationship with the track where you had your first Grand Prix. However, it is not for these reasons alone that I like this track. For most of the lap you have some steering angle, which means you rarely get a break, and this is made worse by the fact the straights are very short. The Hungaroring is a difficult track, but then Formula One is about challenges.”
Jarno Trulli, Toyota
2007 Qualifying - 8th, 2007 Race - 10th
“I enjoy racing at the Hungaroring because it is a challenging circuit which is good fun to drive. It’s a narrow track with a lot of corners in quite a short lap so it’s not easy to overtake. That means qualifying will be particularly important here. Usually we expect a dusty track because it isn’t used regularly and this is quite a challenge for a driver because if you run off line you lose a lot of time, so you really have to concentrate to avoid making even the smallest mistake. Normally this race is one of the hottest of the year so you really need to be in good condition to stay sharp throughout the race, although I have done my training so it won’t be a problem for me. I have usually been competitive in Hungary, even if I have been a bit unlucky with results, so I am optimistic for the weekend and I expect to score points again. We showed in qualifying at Hockenheim that we can fight close to the front so our aim is to repeat that pace and get back in the points.”
