After a three week break, Formula One heads to Eastern Europe, to the home of the Hungarian Grand Prix: The Hungaroring, in the town of Mogyorod. As always, Ewan Tytler reviews the field

Sunday's race will be the 16th Hungarian Grand Prix in the modern era and it is likely that Russia will join Hungary in hosting a Grand Prix in 2002. In 1992 Nigel Mansell secured the World Drivers' Championship at the Hungaroring. Now, 10 seasons later, Ferrari's Michael Schumacher could repeat Mansell's achievement by winning his fourth title on Sunday.

At 3.975 kms, the Hungaroring is the second shortest and second slowest Grand Prix circuit. The Hungaroring sits in a natural amphitheatre, giving spectators a great view of the circuit. In some ways, the Hungaroring is a bit like Monaco without the Armco barriers but in other ways, the Hungaroring is more like a kart circuit that does not demand the same finesse required to finish at Monaco. Driving at the Hungaroring is more instinctive, seat-of-the-pants, with little time for careful planning of the racing line, which tends to give an advantage to 'instinctive' drivers and work against 'technical' drivers. Hence, the list of drivers who have succeeded at the Hungaroring is quite different from the list for Monaco.

Sauber's Technical Director Willy Rampf explains the technical challenges presented by the Hungaroring: "The Hungaroring requires the highest level of downforce, because there are few really high-speed corners and only short straights. The hardest aspect of the track is overtaking, so in qualifying in particular a car needs to be well balanced, to have plenty of downforce and to have good mechanical grip to maximise the driver's grid position. Well optimised traction control and launch control are also useful here. Good refuelling strategy is a key part of race planning, because here more than ever places can be won in the pits rather than out on the track."

Williams's Chief Operations Engineer Sam Michael added: "The Hungaroring is a complete contrast to the last race in Hockenheim. It is dominated by slow to medium speed corners, requiring maximum levels of downforce and tyre grip. Mechanical set-ups are usually geared towards maximizing slow speed grip and traction, but maintaining a good change in direction for the high speed chicanes. Michelin are taking two good tyre options that we have had experience with. Degradation should not be a major concern because the tyres do not see the high speed loading of other circuits, but the effects of traction can be an issue. Qualifying well is as important as Monaco, because overtaking here is extremely difficult, even if you have a 2 or 3 second car advantage. This places top priority on the race strategy for a good race result."

Pitstop and tyre strategies

All of the Grand Prix held at the Hungaroring have been held under dry, sunny conditions, although it rained during Friday Practice in 1998. However, attrition is a bit unpredictable: 17 cars finished in 1999; 16 in 2000; 15 in 1998; 14 in 1994; 13 in 1997 and 1995; while 10 finished in 1996.

In last year's race, most teams went for a two-stop strategy, and since the windows for pitstops are very wide at the Hungaroring, those on a two-stop strategy pitted between laps 24-32 and 47-56 while Jarno Trulli's Jordan, on a one-stop pitted on lap 43. Three-stop strategies resulted in victory for Michael Schumacher in 1998 and Damon Hill in 1995.

Michelin's motorsport director Pierre Dupasquier stated: "Our quest for grip means that our tyre compounds might offer performance at the expense of durability. Last season a two-stop strategy appeared to be the best solution for this event. As far as the tyres are concerned, that means covering a relatively short distance at an average speed of about 180 km/h (112 mph), the second slowest of the season after Monaco (where speeds this year averaged 146.881 km/h, or 91.27 mph).

"The two tyre compounds we have developed for this track must allow us to cope with both warm and cool weather conditions." Prost's Technical Director, Henri Durand revealed. "The main characteristics of the track will force us to fight with some strong understeer and tires will as usual play a predominant role in the overall level of performance. We trust Michelin will offer a good product adapted to this specific track and its atmospheric conditions usually very hot and dry in this period."

Bridgestone's technical manager Hisao Suganuma added: "The challenge of Hungary is to develop tyres that are soft enough to give good grip on the slippery surface yet durable enough and consistent enough to perform well over race distance." Suganuma continued: "It is not true to say that we perform less well relative to our competitor in hot conditions. Cars on Bridgestone tyres have won races in extremely high temperatures this year. Indeed, our specs for Hungary are based on some that have shown excellent performances in hot races."

The surface of the Hungaroring is both slippery and abrasive resulting in a lot of rubber 'marbles' on the track off the racing line which adds another degree of difficulty to overtaking. Sauber's Rampf explains: "Because of the soft compounds, as the race develops a lot of debris gets thrown off line. It is already hard to overtake there because of the design of the circuit, but if you stray off the one racing line in an attempt to pass your tyres get really dirty. It then takes a couple of laps to clean them up again."

Past Experience

This is how well (or bad) the current drivers have qualified in the past at Hockenheim:

Driver/Year	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	Average(96-00)
Schumacher M	4	3	1	3	1	1	3	-	1	1.50
Barrichello	-	16	10	14	13	11	14	8	5	10.20
Hakkinen	16	-	-	5	7	4	1	1	3	3.20
Coulthard	-	-	3	2	9	8	2	3	2	4.80
Schumacher R	-	-	-	-	-	14	10	16	4	11.00
Montoya	-	-	-	-	-	-	2*	-	-	-
Heidfeld	-	-	-	-	-	-	3*	3*	19	19
Raikkonen	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Panis	-	-	9	10	11	-	20	14	-	15.00
Villeneuve	-	-	-	-	3	2	6	9	16	7.20
Trulli	-	-	-	-	-	12	16	13	12	13.25
Alesi	9	8	13	6	5	9	11	11	14	10.00
Fisichella	-	-	-	-	-	13	8	4	7	8.00
Button	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8	8.00
Verstappen	-	-	12	-	17	18	17	-	20	18.00
Bernoldi	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	15*	6*	-
Irvine	-	-	7	7	4	5	5	2	10	5.20
De La Rosa	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	20	15	17.50
Frentzen	-	-	8	11	10	6	7	5	6	6.80
Burti	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Alonso	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3*	-
Marques	-	-	-	-	-	22	-	-	-	22

* F3000 Result

Down the Pitlane

Ferrari have extended their lead in the Constructors' Championship to 58 points. Ferrari won the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2000, 1998 and 1989 and have scored 37 points at the Hungaroring from 1990 to 2000. World Championship leader, Michael Schumacher has extended his lead in the drivers championship to 37 points. Schumacher won the Hungarian Grand Prix in 1998 for Ferrari and in 1994 for Benetton. Schumacher also finished 2nd in 2000 and 4th in 1997 for Ferrari. Schumacher set pole position in 1994, 1996, 1997 and 2000 and set fastest lap in 1994 and 1998.

If Schumacher wins the race on Sunday, he will wrap up the Drivers' Championship for this year. And, depending on how McLaren finish the race, Ferrari too are in a shot of wrapping up the Constructors' Championship as well.

Rubens Barrichello has slipped back to 4th position in the Drivers' Championship despite finishing 2nd at Hockenheim. Barrichello finished 4th in last year's race for Ferrari, 5th in 1999 for Stewart and 6th in 1996 for Jordan. His highest grid position was 5th in last year's race.

McLaren are still 2nd in the Constructors' Championship. Their aerodynamic advantage is not very important at this circuit but their 'tyre economy' may be. According to Team Principal Ron Dennis, "the Hungarian Grand Prix always poses an interesting technical challenge and the team has been working hard at the factory during the August break, focusing on the optimisation of the teams performance for Hungary and the remaining four races." McLaren have won the Hungarian Grand Prix 5 times, including a convincing 1-2 victory in 1999 race, and have scored 76 points at the Hungaroring from 1990 to 2000.

Mika Hakkinen is still 5th in the Drivers' Championship. Hakkinen revealed: "I am looking forward to Hungary as it's a special race for me. With the number of enthusiastic Finns who attend each year, the atmosphere is always fantastic, it's almost like my home race and I am hoping to achieve the same result as last year. Car set-up is particularly important at the Hungaroring in order to maximise performance in the twisty sections and the contrasting fast pit straight."

Hakkinen has won the last two Hungarian Grands Prix, and he finished 4th in 1992 for Lotus, as well as 4th in 1996 and 6th in 1998 for McLaren. Hakkinen set pole position in 1998 and 1999 and fastest lap in 2000.

David Coulthard is still 2nd in the Drivers' Championship despite two consecutive DNFs. "The Hungaroring offers limited overtaking opportunities, with the only real chance under braking at the end of the pit straight, so Saturday's qualifying session is very important," Coulthard commented. "The hot weather and dusty conditions add to the challenge of the race, however we are well prepared and determined to improve on the results of the last race."

Coulthard has been on the podium in the last three Hungarian Grands Prix, finishing 2nd in 1999 and 1998 and 3rd in 2000 for McLaren, as well as 2nd in 1995 for Williams at the Hungaroring. Coulthard set fastest lap in 1999 and his highest grid position was 2nd - set in 1995, 1998 and 2000.

Williams are still a solid 3rd in the Constructors' Championship, with now a chance to challenge for the second place as well. BMW Motorsport Director Gerhard Berger stated: "The Hungaroring is supposed to be the last venue this year with a circuit lay-out that does not suit our package. The outcome there is the more downforce you have, the better your lap times are. This means Budapest is an extreme contrast to Hockenheim or Spa, where we will go with higher expectations. Nevertheless, it is our task to develop a package good enough to score for points under every circumstance. This also includes finishing races regularly with both cars. An improvement in reliability is our main target for the season's final sprint. A decisive factor in Hungary will also be how much of an advantage Bridgestone's experience will be compared to our tyre partner Michelin's."

Williams have been the most successful team at the Hungaroring, winning the Grand Prix seven times, including 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996 and 1997, and have scored 94 points at the Hungaroring from 1990 to 2000. Williams also hold the qualifying (1:14.631) and race lap records (1:18.308) for the Hungaroring.

Ralf Schumacher has climbed to 3rd in the Drivers' Championship after a somewhat lucky victory at Hockenheim. Ralf's comments on the upcoming venue: "It is a small, narrow circuit, but it is very challenging for the drivers as there is one corner after another and no time to relax. As it is also usually hot, it is a physically demanding race. It is a race where having a good car is a deciding factor and if it is hot our tyres should work well. Budapest is a beautiful city and it is a shame we don't have enough time over a race weekend to enjoy the beauty of it." Ralf always finished at the Hungaoring, scoring points by finishing 5th in 2000 for Williams and 5th for Jordan in 1997, while his highest grid position was 4th in 1998.

Juan Pablo Montoya is still 6th in the Drivers' Championship and was exceptionally unlucky to leave Hockenheim empty-handed after setting pole position and fastest lap. Montoya stated: "This is only my second visit to the Hungaroring. Last time in '98 I finished third, but one of the things I remember most is the heat. Because of this you get hot driving the car, as you are working all the time with no long straights to really cool down. It is a tight, slow track but a very challenging one and obviously one where a good qualifying position is important. As for the city of Budapest, it is really different and has a special charm ? I like it a lot." Montoya qualified 2nd in the 1998 F3000 race.

Sauber are still 4th in the Constructors' Championship. The Swiss team has scored 7 points at the Hungaroring, finishing 3rd in 1997, 5th in 1995 and 6th in 1993. Nick Heidfeld is now 8th in the Drivers' Championship. Heidfeld admitted, "I like Hungary and its ambience. The Hungaroring is quite a challenging track to drive because you always have to be on the lookout during the race for the moment any overtaking opportunity presents itself. You don't get many chances there! We have made some good progress with our traction since Monte Carlo, so I will be looking for more World Championship points."

Heidfeld won the 1998 F3000 race and finished second in the 1999 F3000 race at the Hungaroring, setting fastest lap and qualifying 3rd in both races. In last year's Hungarian Grand Prix, Heidfeld did not finish after qualifying 19th. In contrast, his teammate Kimi Raikkonen has never been to Hungary before, "but as usual I don't expect any problems learning the track," he said. "From what my engineers tell me it is like Monaco without the close barriers, and after a strong race in Monte Carlo I'm looking forward to another one at the Hungaroring."

BAR are still 5th in the Constructors' Championship, while Jacques Villeneuve has climbed to 7th in the Drivers' Championship, after his podium finish at Hockenheim. Villeneuve won the Hungarian Grand Prix in 1996 and 1997 and finished 3rd in 1998 for Williams. His teammate Olivier Panis, still 12th in the Drivers' Championship, has always finished at the Hungaroring, scoring points by finished 5th in 1996 and 6th in 1995 and 1994 for Ligier.

Jordan are still 6th in the Constructors' Championship. Jordan have been a regular points scorer in Hungary, finishing 6th in last year's race and scoring a total of 11 points at the Hungaroring. At Jordan's debut at the Hungaroring, Bertrand Gachot set fastest race lap.

The team's newcomer Jean Alesi is 13th equal in the Drivers' Championship. This will be his 13th Hungarian Grand Prix and this will be the 6th different team that he has driven with in F1. Alesi commented: "Hungary is not my favourite race on the calendar because the track is quite slow so you can't really feel the excitement of F1 there. Overtaking is almost impossible and with the heat and twisty nature of the circuit it can be a very physically demanding race. At least I now feel I have a car that is capable of being on the podium and that's a real boost for my motivation.

"I'll still have to find my feet in the team and get to know my new surroundings as well as a new car which will be a lot to do over a Grand Prix weekend, but I'm looking forward to it. Mind you, Jordan is not totally unknown to me as when I visited the factory a few days ago, I found several of the mechanics from my F3000 days were still there. On the canteen wall, there's a montage of photos of my 1989 car. It made me laugh because I'd written 'Goodbye' on it when I left the team but I thought of taking it down and adding, 'Hi guys, I'm back!'".

Alesi has had little success at the Hungaroring, finishing 3rd in 1996 for Benetton and 5th in 1991 for Ferrari while his highest grid position was 5th in 1996.

Jarno Trulli has slipped to 9th equal in the Drivers' Championship. Trulli commented: "Hungary is always described as a 'mickey mouse' track but I must say I like it. My driving style is well suited to it and I have usually been quite competitive here, even if I have not always had much luck during the races." Trulli has yet to score a point at the Hungaroring, finishing 7th in 1997 and 2000 and 8th in 1999, while his highest grid positions were 12th in 1997 and 2000.

Benetton have climbed to 7th in the Constructors' Championship. They have won at the Hungaroring once, in 1995, and have scored at total of 40 points at the Hungaroring.

Giancarlo Fisichella has jumped to 13th equal in the Drivers' Championship after his 4th place finish at Hockenheim. Fisichella has yet to score a point at the Hungaroring, his best finish being 8th in 1998 and his highest grid position was 4th in 1999. Jenson Button has opened his 2001 account, jumping to 16th in the Drivers' Championship after his 5th place finish at Hockenheim. In last year's race, Button finished 9th after qualifying 8th.

Arrows have slipped to 10th in the Constructors' Championship. Technical Director Mike Coughlan admitted: "The Hungaroring may not suit the our car as well as other circuits. It is very similar to Monaco in that sense as it is a particularly high downforce circuit with a lot of tight turns and very little opportunity for overtaking. Having said that, we have a new front wing, which the team has been testing prior to this weekend and that should give us some advantage."

Arrows's best ever result at the Hungaroring was Damon Hill's amazing 2nd place finish in 1997 and this team has scored 9 points at the Hungaroring in the period of 1990-2000. Jos Verstappen has slipped to 17th equal in the Drivers' Championship. "A maximum downforce circuit which so far this year hasn't really suited our car," Verstappen commented. "Having said that though we have some new developments for this race so we'll soon see if all the hard work has paid off. I always enjoy the atmosphere at this race, the weather is usually good and the city of Budapest is beautiful." Verstappen's best result was an incredible 3rd position in 1994 for Benetton after qualifying 12th.

Enrique Bernoldi commented: "This is a really slow, high downforce track. It's very twisty like Monaco and can also be very hot which makes it a tough event. The race can end up being rather processional as, because it is so tight, there are no real opportunities for overtaking." Bernoldi has completed two F3000 races at the Hungaroring, finishing 6th in 2000 and 8th in 1999. His highest grid position was 6th in last year's F3000 event.

Jaguar have slipped to 7th equal in the Constructors' Championship. As Stewart-Ford, they scored 2 points at the Hungaroring from Rubens Barrichello's 5th place finish in 1999.

Eddie Irvine has slipped to 13th equal in the Drivers' Championship. Irvine's only points-paying finish at the Hungaroring was 3rd in 1999 after qualifying 2nd. Pedro de la Rosa is still 17th equal in the Drivers' Championship after an early exit at Hockenheim. In the 1999 Hungarian Grand Prix, de la Rosa finished 15th after qualifying 20th, and in 2000 he finished 16th after qualifying 15th.

Prost have slipped to 9th in the Constructors' Championship despite picking up a point at Hockenheim. Technical Director Henri Durand stated: "We have worked on various new aerodynamic components aimed at increasing both downforce level and efficiency for the Hungarian track. Obviously the most important new element this week-end will be the arrival of Heinz-Harald Frentzen in our team who will work with us for the first time on a Grand Prix.

"We had a quick shakedown test in Magny-Cours last week and the first impression and feedback we got from Heinz-Harald was very positive. He is a driver with an impressive list of achievements which commands a lot of respect. His experience and maturity make us even more keen to work with him. This new association refreshes our team's motivation, and we all look forward to achieve some strong results together with Heinz-Harald and Luciano, in order to improve our position in the World Championship."

Team Principal Alain Prost still holds the qualifying record for the Hungaroring which he set in 1993. Shinji Nakano finished 6th for Prost in 1997 but neither Prost-Peugeot finished last year's race.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen has slipped to 11th in the Drivers' Championship after missing the German Grand Prix. After testing for 50 Km at Magny-Cours in France, Frentzen stated: "These are totally new circumstances for me. I have never experienced a team change during the season, with all the organisation and details required to adapt as quickly as possible to a new car. I spent a lot of time before the Hungarian race to get to know the people I now work with, and to understand my new environment as much and as quickly as possible in a very short period of time. What a challenge! I am really looking forward to it. Because it is not easy, it is even more exciting and I will do my best to fit in the team as soon as possible."

Frentzen has finished in the points in the last three Hungarian Grands Prix, finishing 6th in last year's race and 4th in 1999 for Jordan and coming home 5th in 1998 for Williams despite having a high fever from food poisoning. Frentzen also finished 5th in 1995 for Sauber. Frentzen set fastest lap in 1997 and his highest grid position was 5th in 1999.

Luciano Burti took the opportunity to rest at his Brazilian home to allow his painful left arm to fully recover, the only injury persisting from his spectacular stunt at Hockenheim. Burti has yet to compete at the Hungaroring.

Minardi have never scored a point at the Hungaroring. Tarso Marques finished 12th after qualifying 22nd in the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix while Fernando Alonso finished 2nd in last year's F3000 race after qualifying 3rd.

The Hungarian Grand Prix Preview in a Nutshell: