Formula One gets back to action after a deserved three-week break to begin the final part of the 2002 season. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, World Champion Michael Schumacher will try to continue with his record-breaking year, while his rivals will try to stop him. Atlas F1's Craig Scarborough previews the challenges that all of them will be facing at the Hungarian circuit

Formula one has enjoyed its much needed, if short, mid-season break and now the circus descends on the beautiful city of Budapest for the thirteenth round of the 2002 World Championship. A relatively new race to the calendar - having only featured since 1986 - the Hungaroring shares a similar tight layout with the Monaco street circuit, it shares the physical demands on the cars and drivers, but the track and location lack the charisma to make it a classic race.

As the event used to be held immediately after the 'old' super fast Hockenheimring, the difference in track requirements was startling - from the low downforce, high speed track to the extreme opposite. But even when compared to an emasculated track such as the new Hockenheimring, the low speed layout of Hungary highlights just how peculiar the demands of the track are. Matched with the tight layout comes unusually hot weather - Hungary is frequently the second hottest race of the year, and the demands this places on driver fitness and attentive car preparation go even beyond Monaco. This year, freak thunderstorms flooding most of Europe have arrived in neighbouring countries and storms are forecast for the week preceding the race. If the circuit lacks grip in the dry, the possibility of the weekend being on a rain-washed track would make the conditions close to dangerous.

There was no testing since the German race, as part of the agreed testing ban. Some F1 cars have been on track but these were limited to 2001 cars running demonstrations on old f1 tracks, such as Ferrari attending the Marlboro Masters event at the Dutch Zandvoort track and Minardis running at their own 'Thunder in the Park' event at the British Donington park track. Even Ferrari's Ross Brawn had time off to visit the Ferrari festival at the British Brand Hatch circuit.

Furthermore, the break allowed weary personnel to take short Holidays. Some work was still going on, though, and the production departments were given time to produce stocks of new and spare parts, the technicians ran countless simulations of the cars running on the forthcoming tracks and the drivers were able to work on their fitness. Finally, Ferrari shook down their cars for Hungary at Fiorano and some of the other teams used straight-line test tracks to confirm wind tunnel data.

Weekend Strategy

The track's likeness to Monaco means that overtaking in the race will be nigh on impossible, and there is limited freedom to play with race fuel/tyre strategy. As a result, the qualifying session will form the largest part of the result on Sunday, and the teams will compromise setup time that is normally given for the race in favour of qualifying performance to push the car up the grid. Moreover, decisions on tyre choice will favour qualifying, and the teams may choose a softer tyre - which would not have otherwise been suited for the race.

With so much focus on setup and strategy, Friday will play a more crucial role than usual, and while this day is usually given up to full tank running and assessing the qualifying/race tyre choice, teams will accelerate their programmes to focus on setup and make snap decision on tyres. Anyone losing track time at this early stage of the weekend will suffer in qualifying and may not be able to make up the ground lost on Sunday.

Following the qualifying, the key race day requirements will be reliability and launch control. As Coulthard proved in Monaco, his getaway from the lights allowed him to dictate the pace of the race and stay ahead until the chequered flag.

Extremes of weather and their influence on tyre performance could also play a part in the weekend. Hot weather is the norm, but the nearby rainstorms could affect one or more sessions. Any gap in tyre performance during the race could offer an overtaking opportunity as an unexpected factor into the race.

Set-up and layout

Hungary demands downforce, even more than Monaco, without any consideration for the increase in drag. The experience gained in Monaco back in May will have been reviewed and teams will have developed new solutions to gain grip. Last year the teams added wings everywhere, but this year the proliferation of extra wings wasn't as evident at Monaco, so perhaps we'll see less extra wings on the cars this weekend. As well as extra wings placed around the car, the main front and rear wings will use the largest profiles available and feature steep cambers to promote downforce.

The larger front wings create one other compromise beyond the obvious loss of top speed: cooling. As more air is diverted around the car by the wing, the cooling flow into brake ducts and sidepods is reduced. This isn't a factor at Monaco, where ambient temperatures are lower, but in the heat of an August Hungaroring race, new solutions will need to be found. Bargeboards are cut down to aid flow into sidepods, special brake ducts are made to place larger scoops higher up to collect air running off the front wing, and the sidepods feature larger chimneys and exits to let the heated air escape.

The track is little used during the year and the resulting surface is slippery and green for the start of the weekend. With the soft compound tyres and heat, the track soon 'rubbers' in, gaining time all the way to the race's end. This upsets the car's setup and as with the German race, adjustments will be made during the pitstops to counter changes in the car's handling.

Although grip increases during the weekend, when you add the oil that gets dropped from blown engines and dust that gets blown onto the track, the surface is ultimately very low in grip. Traction control and launch control are used to recover as much grip as possible from the slippy track, but the use of Traction control always demands associated work on the suspension setup, to ensure the wheels are able to give as much grip as possible. Furthermore, the engine and transmission play a part in maximising traction, so traction control will not make up for any deficiencies in these areas.

When a track is twisty and requires heavy braking and acceleration, or when it is slippy and calls the traction control in a lot to manage the engine, or when it is hot and dusty - reliability suffers. So it is clear Hungary will be a race of attrition, and exceptional runs from midfield drivers in reliable cars can be rewarded with a points' finish.

Tyres

Predicting the manufacturers relative pace is no longer a case of 'it is hot so it will be a Michelin race'. Both manufacturers have proven they can cope with hot or cold, grippy or slippery conditions, but it is the initial choice of which compounds the manufacturer will bring to the race that inevitably decides the outcome of the race.

No doubt, with hindsight, each manufacturer could find an existing tyre specification that could have been the optimised tyre, rather than the two they opted to bring. Although dry weather performance is too close to call, Bridgestone are acknowledged to have the upper hand in wet weather tyres, and this factor - along with the current weather in the region - will be worrying Michelin.

Although the smooth surface and gripless track should theoretically prevent the tyres degrading in the race, the high loads put through the tyre and the high ambient temperatures place a premium on tyres. Understeering through low speed corners on hot tarmac is likely to cause blistering, and the drivers will need to judge carefully how hard to push in the race.

A Lap of the Hungaroring with Jarno Trulli

"At the end of the pit straight, I will be at maximum speed for this circuit, which is relatively low at 295 km/h. The first corner is very challenging as it is extremely long and also drops away, making the car tend to understeer a lot. I need to take it in 3rd gear at around 120 km/h.

"I should just get into 5th gear at around 235 km/h before braking for Turn 2, which I will take in 2nd gear at 105 km/h. Turn 3 is actually flat in fourth, entering at around 190 km/h and exiting at 230 km/h.

"The short back straight will see me back in top gear, reaching around 285 km/h, before going into one of two relatively fast corners, the left-hand Turn 4, which I will take in 4th at 180 km/h. I will hold 4th, reaching almost 230 km/h, before entering Turn 5, a 3rd gear 130 km/h right-hander.

"Leading up to the chicane (T6 and T7), I will reach 5th gear and 235 km/h before braking. The first, right-hand part is taken in 2nd gear at 95 km/h and as the left-hand part opens out, I can increase my speed to around 125 km/h, being almost flat but maintaining 2nd gear.

"The very short straight leading to Turn 8 will allow me to reach just over 200 km/h in 4th gear before going into this long left-hand corner, which I will take in 3rd at around 130 km/h, having to balance the car for a long way on part throttle.

"As soon as I exit this corner, I enter Turn 9, a 140 km/h corner for which I will hold 3rd gear. On the slightly curved straight which follows, I will get up to 200 km/h in 5th before entering the next, relatively fast right-hander, which I will take at 185 km/h in 4th.

"Once again, I should see 250 km/h before entering Turn 12, which is a very difficult, 3rd gear corner taken at 150 km/h. There is often dust on the circuit here, and grip levels can vary from lap to lap.

"As I approach the penultimate corner, Turn 13, I will reach around 240 km/h in 5th gear before braking to just 90 km/h in 2nd. This is actually the slowest corner on a generally slow circuit.

"At the exit of this corner, I will be struggling for both grip and position in order to get a good line into the final corner. This is a 125 km/h 3rd gear right-hander, and like Turn 1 is very long, requiring careful use of the throttle in order to achieve a good exit speed."

Team by Team

Ferrari

As the team continue to break all records for lifetime and seasonal statistics, Hungary appears to be one more venue to amass points and victories. The vice-less F2002 on its Bridgestone tyres has been at least a match for its rivals on any circuit. Although Monaco did not provide Michael Schumacher with a win, his pace in chasing Coulthard was beyond doubt. Equally, tight tracks suit Rubens Barichello, whose luck appears to have deserted him just as the Ferrari started to suit him. With parity on tyres and normal conditions, Ferrari can expect to be hard pressed to find a clear advantage, with Williams and McLaren in particular eying this track as a perfect opportunity to take a rare win.

Williams

New thinking at Williams since mid season has started to produce results: the car's aero update to improve its rear tyre life has been introduced in harmony with new suspension, electronics and even working practices. Germany saw Williams press home their advantage over McLaren once more, and was also significant in that Ralf Schumacher was the one to lead the team for the weekend. Whether this was due to him being on home soil or a new chapter in his season is not yet clear, but Hungary should provide more evidence. Juan Pablo Montoya had an off weekend in Germany and needs to demonstrate it was a one-off to maintain the momentum he gathered this year.

McLaren

McLaren fans will be pointing to the race's similarity to Monaco and suggesting that a double win for the team is likely. Indeed, the MP4/17 does treat its tyre well, has good traction and doesn't understeer in slow corners. The engine may lack power but does keep cool in hot weather. Kimi Raikkonen's confidence will be high following strong recent showings and he fees he should be capable of bringing home the win. David Coulthard knows he can win here, and his weekend will be as strategic and focussed as it was in Monaco. Bad reliability and a poor showing from Michelin are the only clouds on the team's horizon.

Renault

Renault will bring some minor aero and chassis developments for the weekend, as well as a new spec engine for qualifying. The engine development from the French factory will aid the team in getting high up the order for the start of the race, but the constant worry for Renault is where the car and drivers go from there. Unreliability and poor race pace have marred too many races this year, and the small collection of points in Renault's hands does not reflect the potential of their package.

Sauber

With Renault shooting themselves in the foot so often and no other midfield team running so close to the front runners, Sauber are getting their cars to the finish and in (or near) the points at most races. Never exceptional at any one weekend, the team are getting the job done this year, and both drivers appear equal in skill. However, Nick Heidfeld's higher position in the Championship and some team orders at the last race are weakening Felipe Massa's position in the team. If the drivers can avoid getting involved in silly accidents then both should expect to run near each other to the end of the race.

Jordan

In a season typical of Jordan, the EJ12 is developing into a capable racecar, but too late to make an impact on the Championship. Honda's reliability must accept some blame for this, but Jordan-manufactured problems have also hampered the season. For this race there are some aero and electronic updates, largely to the traction and launch control systems.

Honda have a program of almost constant development - long has it been since the Jordan and BAR teams have commented on a specific version of engine, and this weekend sees yet another update to the engine, hopefully pointed towards its reliability, which has been chronic all season. Giancarlo Fisichella is getting the most from the package at every race now, while Takuma Sato appeared to have turned a corner in Germany and needs to reinforce this with a solid drive in Hungary.

BAR

After some mid season progress, BAR still seem to be struggling for consistent pace, while reliability still eludes the updated gearbox and Honda engine. There are suggestions from the team that all development resources are aimed at the 2003 car, and the release of test driver Anthony Davidson to Minardi further fuels these rumours. Nevertheless, a solid performance can be predicted for the BAR004 in Hungary, and either driver has the skill to bring home a top ten grid position and a points' finish.

Jaguar

Unlike BAR, Jaguar refuse to devote resources to the new car until the problems with the old car are understood. The major mechanical and aero updates to the car during the season have yet to release any potential and race reliability still seems to elude the team. This policy is only valid if the new car is to follow as an evolution of the last car. But, seeing as most of the design team have now left (or been fired) and the drivers' motivation is questionable, perhaps Jaguar should cut their losses and aim for an all-new car in 2003 with new drivers.

Toyota

Super-tight tracks such as Monaco and Hungary are notoriously difficult to replicate in testing, and although the team did test the old car in Hungary last year, Toyota may not have done enough to resolve the fundamental problem with the car.

The rear suspension of the TF102 is the car's shortfall. It does not provide enough mechanical grip and doesn't like riding kerbs. These two facts - when added to the recent unreliability and Allan McNish's difficulty in matching Mika Salo's qualifying performance - should preclude the team from doing well this weekend. Even mixed or wet conditions in the race will not turn luck on the new team's side, as they lack the knowledge to react to these situations.

Nevertheless, both Drivers have excellent race craft, so if they have reliability they should be able to have fun chasing the pack on Sunday and look forward to the faster tracks coming up.

Minardi

Minardi are sidelining Alex Yoong in favour of BAR test driver Anthony Davidson for the next two races. Relatively unknown in F1 circles, the British driver has a vast amount of F1 experience from testing for BAR, as well as experience from the 2001 European F3 championship. Alas, he was unable to test prior to the race and has not even visited at the Hungarian track before. As well as being up against the highly rated Mark Webber, Davidson has a mountain to climb this weekend and at Spa. But should he pull off a good result in comparison to Webber, he should find himself with a good chance of a drive next year.

Arrows

The struggling Arrows team will not take part in this weekend's race, due to negotiations with a potential buyer - that is what the team said, and nothing more. Hopefully, this will not be the last we hear of the team for this season.