7.2 meters per second (16.1 miles per hour) from (240°)
Temperature
2 °C (36 °F)
Temperature feels like -4 °C (26 °F)
Pressure
1020 hPa (30.12 inHg ).
Clouds
at a height of 762 meters (2500 feet) and at a height of 3048 meters (10000 feet)
Visibility
greater than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles)
Currently
light rain
The circuit is generally dusty due to underuse throughout the season and being built on sandy soil. The track’s being in a natural valley means that about 80 percent of the racetrack is visible from any point. Normally an underused circuit becomes faster over the weekend as the track rubbers in; however, with the Hungaroring this generally does not happen because the track can get dusty so quickly. This is a circuit where there is often a heightened advantage to running late in qualifying.
Due to the twisty style of the circuit overtaking is difficult in dry conditions. Some say that the Hungaroring is similar in style to Circuit de Monaco, due to its tight and twisty corners. In 2003, the main straight was lengthened by roughly 200 m (660 ft), and the hairpin at the end of the straight was also tightened in an attempt to facilitate more overtaking opportunities, as well as a tightening of what was Turn 13. However, this is largely seen to have failed. The circuit is almost flat, the only notable change in elevation being a valley in the straight after Turn 3.
The Hungaroring is set in the countryside just outside the vibrant Hungarian capital, Budapest. It first made its F1 debut in 1986 - at the time, a pioneering venture into Eastern Europe, which was then under Communist rule.
Much has changed in the city since that first edition, as has the track. Since its calendar debut, the circuit has been extended and repeatedly modified, yet its character has still remained: a high downforce, low-speed, twisty, undulating ride through a dusty landscape. With its tight corners and short straights, it ranks next to Monaco as the toughest place to overtake. Sand from these outlying lands often blows onto the track, making grip levels low and any off-line excursion potentially risky.
This, combined with the event taking place in the height of summer, makes it one of the toughest tracks of the year for drivers and teams.
Vitantonio’s View
The Hungaroring is a really difficult track as it’s basically a copy of a Monaco-style circuit. You don’t have the guardrails, but it’s like a karting track with no long straights and there are sections of corners that never seem to end. The combination of second, third and fourth gear corners also stresses the car and the driver, especially in this part of the year where there are high ambient temperatures.
From a driver’s perspective there’s not a lot of adrenaline going. There are some nice banking changes though, particularly after corner one that goes downhill. The car has a tendency to understeer here with poor traction. Corner two is maybe the toughest corner of the track as it’s downhill so the braking is difficult and it’s easy to lock a wheel and miss the apex. The exit is important though as you go into a medium long straight.
The fastest corner of the track is four, which has a little bump as you go uphill. It feels like you are literally flying over the corner. Turn five is, in a way, boring as you have to wait to put the throttle on as there are lots of bumps and it upsets the balance of the car. Then you approach six and seven, which is a slow chicane.
Turns eight to 11 never seem to end. There is a sequence of corners where you can get into a rhythm but if you make a mistake you will lose a lot of time in 11. The new section from corner 12 to 12a is easy with a proper 90 degree bend into the hairpin at turn 14. This can be difficult as there is a bump in the middle and a lot of cars spin here trying to get a good line into the straight. You just can’t afford to go off line here as there is so much dust and marbles from the tyres just off the racing line. It’s so slippery that if you put a wheel wrong you will lose literally seconds.
