Red Bull�s Sebastien Vettel is slowly catching up Team Brawn�s Jenson Button at World Drivers� Championship table with only 21 points gap between them. With the Hungarian GP, whoever ends at the podium would be the one who is more hungry for the title. The Formula 1 ING Magyar Nagydij 2009 Grand Prix (24th July � 26th July) Preview
Hungary, Budapest will be hosting the 10th race of the F1 Grand Prix season. Hungary first hosted a grand prix back in 1936 but the current track was designed in 1986. That day attracted almost 200,000 motorsports fans to turn up at the Hungaroring. The Hungaroring tracks are narrow, twisty and occasionally dusty due to under use. This means that many of the drivers will find it hard to overtake other drivers during the race. The best strategy to win the Hungaroring is to be at the top of qualifying rounds and do well at the pit stops. The Circuit length is 4.381 km and the race distance is 306.630 km. It will consist of 70 laps on race day and the current lap record holder is Michael Schumacher in 2004 with 1:19.071.
German Grand Prix RecapAnother Red Bull one-two, this time it was Mark Webber�s time to take top spot followed by team mate Sebastian Vettel. Webber was penalized for colliding with Brawn�s Rubens Rarrichello in the first lap, first corner but still won the race despite having to drive through the pit stop. The Red Bull duos are slowly catching up to the league leader Brawn�s Jenson Button. Vettel is currently 21 points behind him while Webber follows behind Jenson at 22.5 points. Felipe Massa got Ferrari�s second podium of the season. Two cars retired in the German GP, Kimi Raikkonen ended his race when his radiator was damaged and Sebastien Bourdais went out with hydraulics failure.
Technical RecapMcLaren introduced a B version of their car at the Nurburgring circuit. It had a new front wing, new side engine cover, new side pods and a new rear diffuser. The cars were obviously an improvement but it just did not yield any good result. This time around, McLaren have revised their rear diffuser and the aero package. Renault have also introduced a new front wing endplates and Ferrari have revised their rear diffuser.
Off The Track News Toro Rosso had more than just introducing a new car, they introduced also a new driver too. After the German GP, Toro Rosso decided to sack Sebastien Bourdais and has replaced him with Spain's Jaime Alguersuari. This was a surprise to Bourdais as he was expecting to drive the new Toro Rosso package set up for the Nurburgring circuit. The new Toro Rosso driver could set to debut at Hungary. Bourdais has threatened Toro Rosso with a law suit and could issue a legal proceeding in these coming days. Rubens Barrichello has threatened to leave Brawn GP due to the ineffective strategy that cost him his win at the German GP. An outburst from Barrichello has left the Brawn team�s considering taking further actions if necessary. There are rumors that Renault�s t Fernando Alonso could be revealed at Hungary that he will be the next Ferrari driver replacing Kimi Raikkonen.
Team Red Bull-Renault: Red Bull have certainly got the momentum in the last two races. Both drivers are at the top of their games and pushing one another very hard for the podium finish. Mark Webber is currently showing a high level of fitness after his recovery from broken leg sustained during the preseason. The recent results are showing that Webber is at his height of his driving and could continue his good stint in Hungary. His team mate, Vettel, is currently one of the stars in F1. His talent is growing rapidly by the day and his improving partnership with Webber can help him close the gap to Button�s lead. Expect the partnership to continue to flourish at Hungary, they are bringing back the excitement back to F1.
Brawn GP: For the first time this season, Jensen Button (5) and Rubens Barrichello (6) fell out of the podium range at Nurburgring circuit. The Brawn cars fell once again behind the Red Bull cars. Rubens Barrichello was the one who could have stopped the Red Bull one-two but both he and the team failed to take advantage of the Webber�s penalty at lap one and at a failed pit stop. Barrichello has now fallen behind in the championship standing to both Red Bull drivers. This caused Barrichello to question the Brawn team�s strategy and whether the team is favoring Button. There is evidence that the Brawn cars have not improved since Turkey and hopefully a bit of rework would see them able to match the Red Bull cars. The Brawn team needs to start winning at Hungary in order to maintain their lead and push for the titles. Button won this race back in 2006.
Team Ferrari: Felipe Massa finished third in the Nurburgring circuit and registered their 2nd podium finish of the season. Team mate Kimi Raikkonen was not that fortunate because he ran into problems with his radiator in lap 34. Massa started 8th in the grid position and finish on podium is an impressive result. The Ferrari team have announced this week that the car would not be improved any further this season as they prepare a new car for the next. The reason behind this could be that the Ferrari cars have no chance in winning any title in this year�s F1. Further to that news, gossips are circulating on the prospects of Kimi Raikkonen being replaced by Alonso next season. It is a shame that Ferrari are going through major decisions at a time when the cars are starting to perform well. Don�t expect more from them at Hungary but never underestimate them either.
Team Williams-Toyota: A tale of two halves, Kazuki Nakajima took his normal position of the lower half of cars. He finished 12th while his team mate Nico Rosberg finished in the better half at 4th place. Rosberg has been constant in keeping himself at the top half of the tables but he just hasn�t won a GP yet. He is one of the raw talents in F1 and Williams could profit from his experience this season. Kazuki Nakajima will need to find his Silverstone form at Hungary or otherwise it would be the usual lower half finish. Rosberg bears the hope for team Williams and it seems that he will continue this at Hungary.
Team Renault: Alonso�s finish position at Nurburgring circuit of 7th placed improved from the previous Silverstone and Istanbul circuits. It has come to a fact that the Renault cars are not able to compete with the leading cars of F1. This might be a reason that Alonso is rumored to be moving away from Renault. Although it is no secret that Alonso wanted to leave Renault ever since he rejoined the team. Team mate Nelson Piquet Jr. finished 13th and that is no surprise to the F1 world. Renault have some good results in Hungary in the past. Alonso won this race in 2003 as it was Renault�s first victory after returning to F1 and Nelson Piquet Jr. finished sixth last year here.
Team McLaren: The qualifying finished was promising for both McLaren cars. Hamilton started at 5th grid while Heikki Kovalainen started at 6th. This was one of the best start for both McLaren cars but it all changed after the first lap of the race. Both Hamilton and Kovalainen attacked right from the start of go and it didn�t go without any incident. Hamilton punctured his tyres in a fight with Webber in the first corner which relegated him to finish 18th in the race. Kovalainen did better and for the second time within points. With nothing to lose, expect both cars to score some points at Hungary.
Team BMW Sauber: Robert Kubica started his career at Hungary and it seems like he will have fond memories of this circuit. Although, his performance in Nurburgring circuit was poor and finished 14th, there will be a great following from the polish support as many will turn out in force in Hungary. His team mate Nick finished in 10th place and there was nothing to cheer about in Nurburgring. They will have to go and regroup to face another hard circuit in Hungary as they are lacking in car speed and morale. Both cars will struggle in Hungary.
Team Toyota: Another team that is struggling of the late. Jarno Trulli and team mate Timo Glock had a poor show at Nurburgring. Trulli finished 17th place while Glock ended up in 9th. It is hard to say what went wrong for the Toyotas but it could be the spirits of the drivers not matching the expectations for this year�s F1. They started out well in the first few races but from there on they have fallen. They could fall further behind if they don�t start picking up themselves. If they do well in the qualifying then there is every chance for them to get some points in Hungary.
Force India: Giancarlo Fisichella result in Silverstone looks like a one off as he returned back to the bottom half of the table. He finished 11th place while team mate Adrian Sutil ended up 15th. It will be normal result, being at the bottom half although this would be better than finishing last. It could be said that there are improvements but it is not good enough to get points. Force India will probably end up the same for the Hungaroring circuit.
Team Toro Rosso-Ferrari: Toro Rosso decided that the Nurburgring circuit was to be the last for Sebastien Bourdais in a Toro Rosso car. They have now brought in another rookie, Spain's Jaime Alguersuari to replace him. He will break the record of being the youngest driver in F1 history. As this is Alguersuari�s debut, he could surprise a few and could possibly earn some points at Hungary. After 9 races, Sebastien Buemi has ended up as a veteran for the Toro Rosso. Hopefully he could regain the form he had before his crashes. Two rookies at the start of Hungary could spell trouble.
The Final Verdict: The Red Bull cars are definitely the cars to beat. Both Webber and Vettel are in good shape and will continue to close the gap between them and the Brawn team. The Brawn�s have lost the momentum and it is hard to see what they can do since they don�t have the fastest car. They will try to keep on scoring points until they find a formula to get the cars to compete with the Red Bulls. There could be a surprise surge from Massa and Hamilton which could put the Brawn cars in further disposition against Red Bull. It all depends on the qualifying and if that is the case, then the Red Bull cars will take one-two again.
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