FORMULA 1 ING MAGYAR NAGYDIJ 2009 - Hungarian GP

Bridgestone

Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone director of motorsport tyre development "The Hungaroring is an interesting circuit, especially as it is not used much during the year. This means the circuit grip levels experienced on Friday are likely to be very different from those experienced in the race. For deciding set-up and tyre strategy, this makes things difficult, and competitors will have to work hard. Tyre management, particularly with graining, is very important, and qualifying position is crucial as overtaking is difficult. Also, we are ever mindful of the weather as it can get very hot there, although we have seen rain in the past, notably when Jenson Button scored his first Formula One race victory in 2006. "We are bringing consecutive tyres from our range to Hungary because of the slippery surface and the circuit layout. This is the slowest speed permanent race circuit that we visit during the course of the season, and the surface itself is not aggressive enough to help generate heat in the tyres. The super soft and the soft Bridgestones are both from our low temperature working range of tyres. This makes it easier for the teams and drivers to generate heat and get the best performance from them."

FIA press conference schedule - Hungary Toro Rosso’s new signing Jaime Alguersuari will join three other drivers on Thursday to face the media, while Friday’s press call will see leading personnel from four teams take to the stage. The line-up in full&ldots; Thursday July 23, 1500 local time (1300 GMT): Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) and Mark Webber (Red Bull). Friday July 24, 1600 local time (1400 GMT): Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), Norbert Haug (Mercedes), Christian Horner (Red Bull) and Franz Tost (Toro Rosso). The qualifying and post-race conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

Brawn GP

The second half of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship continues in Hungary this weekend as Round Ten takes the Brawn GP team to the beautiful city of Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The 4.381km Hungaroring, located 19kms from the capital, has hosted the Hungarian Grand Prix since 1986 and produced some fantastic races over the years. The low speed and high downforce circuit is one of the most technically and physically demanding tracks on the calendar with a twisty layout of interlinked corners which can really test the drivers and cars. Both of Brawn GP’s drivers have achieved victories at the Hungaroring with Rubens Barrichello winning in 2002 and standing on the podium in 2001 and 2004, and Jenson Button taking his first Grand Prix victory in the thrilling wet race of August 2006. ROSS BRAWN, TEAM PRINCIPAL Q. How is the team feeling ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend? “The last two races at Silverstone and the Nürburgring have been frustrating for the team as we have not been able to achieve the full potential of our car at the same time as our competitors have taken a good step forward. However we are confident that the inherent performance of the BGP 001 which was demonstrated during the first half of the season has not disappeared and the problems that we faced were unique to the circumstances of those races. “Our focus now is to maximise the performance that we know is in the car whilst continuing to develop improvements which will maintain our championship challenge. We have a significant aerodynamic upgrade for the race in Budapest which will bring performance gains in efficiency, downforce and aero balance but we face a fierce battle and we must continue to improve for the rest of the season. The team has faced many challenges to arrive where we are today and I am confident that we have the people and resources, plus two excellent drivers, to respond and fight to maintain our position of leading the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships.” *JENSON BUTTON Q. You’ve said that you can’t wait to get Hungary this weekend. What is it about the track that you enjoy? “Hungary is always one of my favourite races and even more so this year as it should finally be a return to some real summer temperatures! The circuit holds some very special memories for me as the venue of my first Formula One win three years ago and it’s fantastic to be going back there with the chance to compete for the win again. The Hungaroring is quite a challenging circuit as it is so twisty and there’s no real respite round the lap but it is a lot of fun to drive. The lap has a good rhythm and mix of slow-speed and high-speed turns. The circuit generates an incredible amount of grip as the weekend gets underway which can provide a real challenge in finding the right set-up. I’ve been at home in Monaco for the past week concentrating on my training but I know that the guys at the factory and at Mercedes-Benz have been working really hard on our latest upgrade package and I just can’t wait to get back in the car.” *RUBENS BARRICHELLO Q. What are your thoughts ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix? “Budapest is a wonderful city and there’s always a great atmosphere around the circuit for the race weekend. The Hungaroring has been pretty good to me in the past with one win and a couple of podiums so it’s a track that I enjoy returning to, particularly with a good car as we have this year. Germany and Silverstone have been frustrating races for us, despite the podium at Silverstone, so we will be looking to start the second half of the season afresh this weekend and focus on getting the maximum performance from the car and our upgrades. The Hungaroring is a pretty physical track which combined with the usual high temperatures make it a tough challenge for the drivers but that’s what we enjoy. It’s not that easy to overtake through the slow corners here so it places the emphasis on having a good qualifying session on Saturday and being able to start from as high up the grid as possible. The feedback from the factory is that our upgrades for this weekend should be a step forward so we’re feeling positive going into the weekend.”   Hungaroring Stats Circuit Length: 4.381km Race Distance: 306.630km Number of Laps: 70 Full Throttle: 56% Brake Wear: High Tyre Compounds: Super Soft / Soft Downforce Level: High 9/10 Tyre Usage: Medium Average Speed: 197kph (122mph)

Force India

The Hungarian Grand Prix will be the tenth round of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship and is held at the tight, twisty Hungaroring on the outskirts of Budapest from 24 – 26 July. Following a competitive weekend performance in Germany where it achieved its highest-ever qualifying position and finished within sight of the points, the Force India Formula One Team heads to Hungary keen to finally open its scorecard. Team Q&A Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal *In Germany the team had a very encouraging weekend. What are your views on this? I am confident that Germany was not just a one-hit wonder for us. We always said the first few races would be compromised by the late signing of the McLaren and Mercedes deal but since then we’ve been introducing new upgrades and each one has been a step forward. We had hoped that this progress would be reflected in Silverstone, but due to events on track, we couldn’t show the full potential. In Germany this is what you saw. Over the course of the season so far we’ve calculated we’ve improved by something like 1.7seconds, which I don’t think any other team has done. It’s been done by solid hard work and not just getting lucky. *And this time the weather conditions had nothing to do with it. No, because everyone else had the same opportunities to make those calls. Adrian had a superb qualifying and, as we saw in Q3, even on a very heavy fuel load, he was one of the quicker cars. In the dry race both Giancarlo and Adrian were able to lap quickly and keep pace at various times with the Ferraris, Renaults and McLarens so we’re not just competitive in the wet, we’re genuinely on the pace now. How disappointed were you to lose the points that looked so certain in the first part of the race? In that split second when Kimi and Adrian came together of course the whole team was disappointed and of course those memories of Monaco 2008 came forward. All the same I don’t think we can be downhearted about the weekend performance and dwell too much on that point. We qualified in the top ten, we raced in the top five and we went some way to shirking off this reputation of being the backmarkers who only get seen while being lapped. Can you do the same in Hungary? I genuinely think that we are Q2 contenders for the rest of the season, and with Hungary being a circuit where qualifying is so crucial, we’re in with a shot of a good finish. We’re so close to points we can almost touch them. It has to be soon. Driver Q&A Adrian Sutil (car 20, VJM02/01) You had a very promising weekend in Germany. What are your views on this now, one week on? From free practice on we could do some good work and could see the car was performing well. We had a really good qualifying, the best performance so far this year, and the only disappointing point was this incident in the race. The pace was good, particularly on the first stint as I was really in the front where the action was, so it was a different type of racing experience. You have to push all the time and it’s so close that you need to fight for the positions. That’s one way of seeing the crash: if we hadn’t pushed we would have lost our position straight away. But I am fine with it now, I’ve looked at the footage and learnt from it, so let’s move on. What are your thoughts on the Hungaroring? It’s a good track, one of the smaller circuits, with a lot of corners so in some respects it’s a bit like a kart track. It is actually challenging as each of the corners are different, some 180 degrees and some long, some in third gear. It’s very bumpy in places, which also makes it a bit more difficult to drive, but overall there’s a good flow to it. What will the aims be in Hungary? Our goal has to be in Q2 again and then I would say get as close as we can to the top 10. We want to stay in the midfield where we are right now. We are always waiting for the points now and we are nearly there. This has to be the goal for the season and the few last races. Giancarlo Fisichella (car 21, VJM02/04) Giancarlo, you finished the German Grand Prix three seconds from the points again. This was obviously a good race for you? Germany was obviously very positive for the whole team. Yet again we raced very well and got a good finish, coming from 18th to just outside the points. But when you look at the last two races we’re really improving – I came from 16th to 10th in Silverstone and then moved up another seven positions in Germany, not because of the weather but because the team is now genuinely competitive. What are your feelings about the Hungaroring? I feel pretty confident as we’re just getting better and better. We can see our pace is much more competitive and we are really racing. I enjoy driving the car and I’m looking forward to this next race. As our qualifying pace has really made a step forward and the Hungaroring is all about where you start and the strategy so I’m very positive of a good finish. Force India Hungarian GP points of note: Adrian’s German Grand Prix qualifying position was Force India’s best-ever starting slot. The company’s previous highest qualifying came under the Jordan regime in Hungary 2002 when Giancarlo Fisichella qualified in fifth. After the Hungarian Grand Prix the team and trucks will return to the UK. From 3 – 16 August the factory will then be closed in line with FOTA’s guidelines to cut costs. All production, design and build will cease and, aside from security and maintenance, the factory will be shut. In Hungary the team will have a couple of new items on the car, inclduing some tweaks on the front wing and brake ducts and some minor changes on the mechanical side. Apart from that there are a couple of measures to address the likely cooling demands of Hungaroring. Giancarlo Fisichella has raced at the Hungaroring 12 times, with a best result of sixth coming in 2002 with Jordan. Adrian has raced there twice in his F1 career but has only seen the finish once – in 2007 when he came home in 17th. Hungarian Grand Prix information 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.

Williams

Hungaroring in a nutshell A permanent racetrack but almost as labyrinthine as Monaco. For that reason, a strong qualifying performance is essential. Overtaking has been eased since 2003, when the main straight was extended and the first corner reprofiled, but only slightly (not least because it is incredibly dusty off the racing line). Modern convention makes this a two-stop race like most others. Talking technical Car dynamics Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s corners expressed in degrees. The higher the average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit’s configuration and the greater propensity for understeer to compromise lap time. Average turn angle at the Hungaroring is 1260 which is significantly higher than the average for the Championship. The circuit therefore is more penalising on an understeer balance than the majority of circuits on the calendar. The end of straight (EOS) speed at the Hungaroring was 297kp/h in 2008. The Hungarian track ranks as having the 3rd lowest EOS speed on the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the wing level typically selected to optimise the downforce/drag ratio. Meanwhile, the Hungaroring has the 3rd lowest average lap speed of any of the tracks on the calendar. Pitlane & refuelling strategy The pitlane length and profile contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel strategy. The pitlane loss at the Hungaroring is approximately 20.5 seconds, the 9th most penalising pitlane in the Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around the Hungaroring requires 2.48kg of fuel against an average of 2.42kg per 5km across all circuits this season, ranking the circuit as the 6th most demanding in terms of fuel consumption. Safety car Another key contributor to the determination of race strategy is the likelihood of safety car deployments, which are influenced by weather considerations, the availability of clear run-off areas that allow racing to continue while recovery takes place and the circuit profile, especially the character of the entry and exit into turn one at the start of the race. There has been one safety car deployments in the last 8 races at the Hungaroring, making it relatively unlikely that there will be a safety car period. Temperature, pressure & humidity As an example, it is a long observed tradition that drivers arriving at Interlagos complain about a lack of grip and an absence of engine power. Having become acquainted with a baseline of engine and aerodynamic performance during the season, the climb to 750 metres above sea level for one of the final races can, courtesy of the reduction in air density, rob a Formula One car of engine power, aerodynamic performance and cooling. The losses can come close to double digit percentages and thus have a very real impact on car performance. Air density is a factor of the prevailing ambient temperature, which varies most significantly by season, air pressure which is closely linked to altitude and, to a much smaller degree, by humidity. Thus if races are run at the same time each year, the factor that tends to have the greatest bearing on air density is elevation. The Hungaroring is 220m above sea level and has the 4th lowest average pressure (980mbar) of any race venue in the 2009 Championship. As a consequence, the circuit’s ambient characteristics will result in a noticeable reduction in engine power. What the drivers say Reflections on the German Grand Prix Nico “We came home from Germany with another strong result with the fourth place. It was a bit of a difficult weekend before that though as we struggled with tyre temperatures as it was really quite cold at the Nürburgring. Still, it all came together for us in the end and I'm really happy as I made up a lot of places from my 15th grid position. It’s good to see the team making steady progress with the car and I hope it continues, as it would be great to get on that podium soon.” Kazuki “It was a little bit disappointing and an unlucky weekend for me. The weather in qualifying was especially tricky. We showed though that the car is quite competitive though and we have enough speed to score points, so hopefully it will happen for us in Hungary.” What we’ve been up to between races Kazuki “I’ve been keeping to my normal routine of visiting the factory to use the simulator and then lots of training since I came home from Germany. I was also on duty again at the weekend for the team’s second trip to Moscow. Nico went last year and I know now why he loved it so much! To drive a Formula One car alongside such iconic landmarks like the Kremlin and Red Square was amazing and an experience I will never forget!” Nico “The break between the races has gone back to the usual two weeks which is good as I prefer the rhythm. During that time, I've been to Sardinia with friends. It was a fantastic trip and they introduced me to sailing, which was a really nice new experience.” The Hungaroring – from a technical perspective *Nico “The Hungaroring is a completely different type of track to the Nürburgring. It’s quite slow and twisty, and is a maximum downforce circuit which should suit our car. It will definitely be hotter over there than it was in Germany so we can look forward to a bit of an easier weekend when it comes to set-up as we'll be able to get the tyres up to temperature. Traditionally, Williams has always gone well round Budapest and I hope that will be the case this year and we continue our strong form.” *Kazuki “The Hungaroring is probably one of my favourites tracks on the calendar. It’s going to be a tough race because of the temperatures in Hungary at this time of year, and just because of the nature of the circuit. It’s a very slow track, a little bit like Monaco in that the corners are all slow and medium speed. Overtaking will therefore be difficult because there aren’t many long straights, so qualifying will be really important. I think we will be competitive there.” Budapest: love it or hate it? Nico “Budapest is a great city. It’s filled with cool bars and restaurants, not that I can go out much, but its really vibrant and so one of the more enjoyable places we visit in the year.” Kazuki “I know Budapest is a beautiful city but I’ve never really explored it as I haven’t ever had the time. I hope that this year I will have some time to look around, or go out in the evening to a restaurant for a good local meal. It’s always nice when we go to such interesting cities like Budapest, it just makes the weekend more exciting.”

Force India

Dominic Harlow Q&A: ‘I would hope that we would continue our trend’ The collision that cost Adrian Sutil points in Germany was a disappointment for everyone in the Force India team, but the overall performance through the weekend brought a lot of encouragement. With new parts coming for the next two races, the team hopes that the momentum will continue. We asked chief race engineer Dominic Harlow for his thoughts: Q: Germany was a dramatic race for the team. How do you see it now? The first half of the race before Adrian’s stop seemed to fly past and then the next 33 laps seemed to take quite a long time! The collision was very unfortunate, but it was a racing incident. There were some redeeming points with Fisi’s race, because he made up a number of places – in fact, in the last two races he has moved up 13 positions. He enjoyed himself and yet again we got a good finish, within sight of the points. Q: Despite the disappointment, was it an encouraging weekend? We achieved our ultimate goal of mixing it in the midfield and trying and push for points-scoring positions, so yes it was very encouraging from that point of view. *Q: Do you have a new package for the next race in Hungary? We have a few more parts for Hungary. It’s not the same magnitude as Silverstone, but we’re keeping pace with our development plans and hopefully with the other teams. There are some front wing, brake duct and floor developments that we are pushing through. There are also the usual small mechanical changes for Hungary. We will also do a little bit of extra work on the set-up side for that circuit because it’s quite tricky. *Q: It’s very different from some of the recent circuits. Do you have any idea how you might go there? Looking back to Monaco, that was the real start of our upturn in performance and pace. With Hungary being a similar downforce level and configuration, I’d like to think that we should suit reasonably well the demands of this track as well. We’ll also be back on the softer tyres again and I think with this compound we tend to go pretty well. The only tyre that’s been genuinely difficult for us is the hardest one, but we’re quite happy with the way we use the soft and the supersoft. We’re quite optimistic. Q: What have you got coming for the race after that in Valencia? It’s another upgrade target for us with a slightly bigger package of new parts coming. We will have further changes to the front wing again, and changes to the bargeboard area, and the front of the floor and sidepods. Visually it will be fairly different. I thought last year Valencia levelled things a little bit, and we looked reasonably strong there, particularly with Giancarlo. I would hope that we would continue our trend. Q: The summer break, when teams are obliged to close their factories, is coming up. How does that affect things? We’re closed from August 3rd to the 16th, and then we go straight to Valencia so pretty much all the work has to be done before the close down. It’s very much like the testing agreement, there are certain do’s and don’ts that have been agreed. It’s a good idea, it will be nice to have a break!

Toyota

Jarno Trulli: "I enjoy visiting Budapest, and the Hungarian Grand Prix is an enjoyable one for me. The Hungaroring is a challenging track from a driver's perspective because it is very narrow with a lot of corners, even though it is quite a short lap. It might not be one of the fastest tracks on the calendar but it is actually good fun to drive, although you have to keep your concentration because you get punished badly by going off line. "It is very close among several teams at the moment so it is difficult to predict what will happen in Hungary but if we can do a smooth weekend with no problems then we will be competitive. The last race weekend was very frustrating for me because we had a lot more performance than the result showed but we are all determined to make up for that with a good points finish in Hungary." Timo Glock: "Obviously Hungary is a special race in my career after the podium there last season. That was the first of several strong points finishes for me and I hope another competitive weekend there can get the ball rolling again this year. I am in a positive mood and optimistic I can score again. It was disappointing to just miss the points at the last race, especially in front of my home fans, but I made up 11 places after starting from the pit lane so we have the potential to finish much higher. "One of my targets this weekend will be to get a perfect lap in qualifying because that has been an issue in the last couple of races for various reasons. Lap times are really close this year so if you are a tenth or two off your maximum pace in qualifying you can drop a few positions and that makes life harder in the race. We'll be pushing as hard as possible and I am sure we will bounce back." *Pascal Vasselon, Senior General Manager Chassis: "We are looking forward with optimism to the Hungarian Grand Prix. Even though the Hungaroring is a low average speed circuit it consists mainly of medium-speed corners with very few really slow corners, but still you need plenty of downforce. The track is quite hard on brakes, which is demanding in terms of braking stability and cooling. Also, tyre grip and consistency management can be a challenge because the track surface and lay-out are very specific; it is low grip with high cornering severity. "That created a risk that the hard specifications would struggle for grip while the soft specs could suffer severe graining but Bridgestone has reacted so we will use the soft and super soft tyre to avoid that situation. We are likely to face high ambient temperatures this weekend but the cooling efficiency of our car is very good so we can cope with these conditions without degrading the aerodynamic performance." Hungarian Grand Prix Technical Preview Q+A with Timo Glock Tell us about your podium in Hungary last year. It was a really special moment for me to be on the podium in Formula 1 for the first time, and it was great to be fighting right at the front. Everything came together and it worked out perfectly. It was the race immediately after my accident at Hockenheim so maybe it surprised some people to see me being so competitive. But the truth was that Hockenheim was a turning point because we got the car really working well for me. After that, the fantastic result in Budapest was the start of a great run in the second half of the season. What did it mean to finish on the podium for the first time in F1? I really enjoyed that feeling; it’s what I have worked so hard to achieve all through my career. When I left Formula 1 at the end of 2004 I knew it would be really tough to get back but I never gave up and I gave everything in Champ Cars and GP2 to get my chance. But getting back to Formula 1 was just the beginning and it was a great moment to stand on the podium in Hungary after finishing second. That gave me a lot of satisfaction and I really liked the feeling. I am determined to do it many more times! Was that your best performance in Formula 1 so far? It was the best result of last year but I was also very proud of my performances in several races, particularly finishing fourth in Singapore and Canada and some other races where the result maybe wasn’t as good but I drove really well. This year I was on the podium again in Malaysia so that is one of my best performances as well; it’s always a highlight when you finish on the podium. Is your first podium more special than the ones that follow? In a way it is more special when you are the podium for the first time because it is a unique experience and you have nothing to compare it to. But it’s always a great feeling when you have performed to the maximum and achieved a really strong result. My third place in Malaysia also felt great because it was the result of a fantastic team effort and I’m sure my next podium will be pretty special too. Are you generally successful in Hungary? Why? I have always been quick there, right from my first visit in 2004 when I was a Formula 1 test driver taking part in Friday practice. I was on the pace from the first session and that continued when I went back in GP2. I was second and fifth in 2006 but I was really unlucky the next year because I qualified on pole but there was a wheel problem at my pit stop which ruined my race, then in the sprint race I was fighting for the podium before a mechanical problem. So in terms of results Budapest has been average for me but I have always been competitive there. It’s just a fun circuit which is quite challenging for a driver; it feels like a kart track when you are driving a Formula 1 car there. *Will the Hungaroring suit the TF109? I hope so! It’s quite tricky to judge before Friday practice. We have made a big improvement on slower corners in the past few races which is quite encouraging going into the Hungarian Grand Prix. It is usually pretty hot in Hungary as well and our car has good cooling efficiency so that should work in our favour. So I am reasonably optimistic our car will go well but we’ll have to wait and see. What are your goals for the 2009 season? My goal this season is simply to score as many points and podiums as possible. I don’t have specific goals in the way I did for 2008, when I wanted to get 20 points and finish in the top 10 of the Drivers’ Championship. My second place in Hungary started the ball rolling and I achieved both my targets. This year I just want to be as quick as possible from race to race, scoring as many points as I can. So far we have had some ups and downs but it is mainly positive.

Bridgestone Corporation’s involvement in Formula One brings many benefits to all of the Bridgestone markets around the world.

In this article, Hiroshi Yasukawa (HY), Director of Motorsport, Bridgestone Corporation, talks to John McNaught (JM), Managing Director of Bridgestone UK in conjunction with British and international motorsport expert Tony Jardine (TJ) to understand how Bridgestone is operating in the difficult current economic climate, and also what benefits there are from Bridgestone’s motorsport involvement. HY: I understand that Bridgestone UK has been achieving good results, despite the difficult economic situation most companies find themselves in. What is the secret behind this recent success? JM: Yes we have been outperforming the market and we continue to grow as a business. The real key is that we have well thought out sales and marketing initiatives in all sectors of our business. We implement our plans very well – we act quickly and monitor results! We have an extremely capable team who have all been with the company for many years. I have been here eight years and during that period we have retained all our management team and key sales and marketing staff. We are ambitious and recent activities have seen massive growth of our entry into the retail market - away from wholesale - which has been greatly assisted by introducing Formula One incentives that no other manufacturer could offer. It is a very strong differentiator for us. HY: It is encouraging to see that Bridgestone UK is such a positive supporter of motorsport activities. What do you think is the most effective way of utilizing motorsport in sales activities? JM: Motorsports have been excellent for us over the years and especially Formula One and Moto GP. These sports have always achieved a high recognition by the British public over many years now and our involvement has helped us in many areas. For example, relationship building with key customers is greatly assisted by the opportunities presented by F1 and MotoGP. For car and truck end users we have incentives for our consumers who purchase our goods and this helps our relationships with dealers for both car and truck tyres. We can support dealers with Formula One cars for shows and so on, and our motorsport involvement has increased our brand awareness within the U.K. We get a high degree of interest from tyre fitters for both car and truck tyres who react positively to our brand and its involvement in motorsports. TJ: Has Bridgestone’s brand awareness increased by utilizing motorsport? JM: Yes we would say it has had an extremely positive influence on our Brand. TJ: Has contact with the end-users increased through the use of motorsport? JM: Yes we would certainly say so but it is difficult to measure. However, given the very high degree of publicity within the U.K. on TV and other media, and the recent high level exposure of British drivers – Lewis and Jenson - then it is sensible to acknowledge that our presence has grown. TJ: What sort of end users do you think motorsport activity can particularly influence? JM: 33% of the UK population are actively interested in motorsports so it attracts many types of people.We receive tremendous attention when we bring show cars to supermarkets with our dealers. These events attract many people who wish to be photographed with the cars and enjoy being so close to it and these activities continue to grow our brand. Even charities also recognize our brand strength and are always keen to have the car displayed and in use for their events. TJ: What about the effects of motorsport activity to OE (Original Equipment) business? JM: My only comment is that given the number of Formula One teams building cars here in the U.K. there must be an acceptance of our technology and that working with such teams must influence their thoughts positively. TJ: Does motorsport activity contribute to tyre sales in your sales company? JM: Yes. Without a doubt it has a positive influence. TJ: Is there any effect on your ability to recruit good, new staff? JM: Certainly, increased awareness and our motorsport activity has helped us attract marketing staff. HY: Bridgestone is currently supporting not only F1, but also GP2, MotoGP and karting in Europe. As a company, Bridgestone doesn’t think that these motorsport activities can influence all consumers in the markets. What is important for Bridgestone is to send out a message to the real target customers rather than all consumers, including those who may not be the target. TJ: The Bridgestone Motorsport programme is a core activity and seems integral to the brand but could any supplementary activities be considered to further enhance the Bridgestone image? JM: Motorsports clearly demonstrate a very creditable message and show us as an innovative brand to all users but other sports could also be utilized, such as golf, tennis, football and, for certain markets, ice hockey. HY: As you are aware, the Bridgestone Group of companies not only produces tyres, but also sporting items such as golf and tennis products as well as bicycles. While F1 could appeal to high profile users and MotoGP to bike fans, golf and tennis could appeal to a wide range of people. Bicycles can also be associated with ecology and bike racing is very popular in Europe. TJ: What do you think about using these non-tyre items/products in Bridgestone company PR and sales promotion activities? JM: They should be promoted more within Europe as at present they are not that well known. TJ: Finally, please give us your opinion and comments on motorsport activity and F1 in the future in particular. JM: Staying in motorsport is very important. If we left we would lose all that well built brand recognition. I would like Bridgestone to continue with F1 and look forward to seeing further exciting races so that we can continue to further the appeal of the Bridgestone brand!

Ferrari

*Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 2008 Qualifying - 6th, 2008 Race - 3rd “Traditionally this is some sort of a home race for us Finns, because there are so many fellow countrymen on the grandstands. I’ll show up with a new rear wing, which worked really well on Felipe’s car and there’s the possibility that we’ll have further modifications. The F60 should run pretty well at the Hungaroring with its many slow corners; furthermore the temperatures should be slightly higher than at the weekend in Germany: it would be great to gain another podium.” *Felipe Massa, Ferrari 2008 Qualifying - 3rd, 2008 Race - 17th “I haven’t got very good results at this race but that doesn’t mean I don’t race well there: if you remember last year I had the win in my pocket, but then my engine unfortunately let me down with just two laps to go. It’s a nice circuit to drive even if it’s not really one of my favourites, but ask me how we will get on in this race and to be honest I really don’t know. I hope we can carry on making improvements to our package, carrying on in the same direction as in Germany.” Raikkonen: "Will Budapest be like Monaco? Let’s hope so" Maranello, 21 July 2009 - They say that Hungary is somehow similar to Monaco: true, the corners are very slow, but the Hungaroring is definitely more “forgiving” than the track at the Principality, where the tiniest slip will almost certainly make you end up in the barriers. Having said that the next race will definitely be the most similar one to the one at Monaco. This year we gained a place on the podium at Monaco and this is our objective for Budapest: we were able to fight for the pole until the last moment and I think that if we had gained it, the race would have gone in a completely different direction. We’ll retry in Hungary, but it will be difficult. The F60 should adapt pretty well to the track, but we know that all the other teams have improved their cars considerably after the race at Monaco, so there will be fierce competition: we’ll get a better picture of the situation on Friday morning after the first free practice. The qualifying’s result is really important at Budapest, because overtaking is even more difficult than usual: if you don’t start from one of the front rows you risk transforming the race into a long hot and difficult afternoon, without any hope for a good result. After two race weekends not really with summery weather at Silverstone and the Nürburgring there should be finally some high temperatures: our car is quite kind to the tyres compared to many others, which means that these conditions should help us more. This year the tyre performance has varied a lot over the weekends. The crucial point is the temperature and it’s clear that the perfect window to use them is really narrow; but it’s the same for all the teams, as we could see at the last races. We’re at the tenth race of the championship, which has been very difficult up to now. We’ve been working hard to close the gap we had since the start between us and the leaders; naturally also all the others have been improving their cars. Furthermore with the fact that we can’t test this year during the championship it’s even more difficult to make up ground. How the season’s second part will go also depends on the decision of how to use the resources, because the work on next year’s car is now already in full swing. After Hungary there will be a longer holiday than usual. The first week I’ll dedicate to the Rally in Finland, where I’ll drive a Fiat Grande Punto Abarth. After that I’ll relax a bit together with my family and friends, before starting with the preparations for the race at Valencia on 23 August. Massa: "carrying on in the same direction as in Germany" Maranello, 17th July 2009 - Four days after the German Grand Prix is obviously much too long to go for a racing driver without being on a race track! So after going home to Monaco on Sunday night I travelled to a place called Lonato, near Lake Garda in Italy to have some fun karting. It was like a Formula 1 race here, there was Michael (Schumacher), Kubica, Glock, Liuzzi and Nelsinho (Piquet) and Klien. It wasn’t a special event, it wasn’t even a race, we just decided to come here and have some fun driving 125 karts with gears. I think we all miss the F1 testing and this is a good way to keep fit and busy. Thursday afternoon, I travelled to Maranello as I attended an event there which involves driving some of our customers around the Fiorano race track. Going back a few days to the German Grand Prix, being on the podium was a good feeling but also a strange feeling at the same time and it was definitely something I’d been missing. In a difficult season this was nice because it’s a sign of the improvement going on within our team. In the past few races we’ve been scoring points again, always in the top five so to do even better and finish on the podium was good, not just for me but also in terms of motivating everyone in the team and at the factory. It proves we are still fighting but it is important for us to keep working. At Ferrari we are often asked why we have continued to use KERS and if you watched the helicopter shot of the start of the race you would have seen that me and Kimi and the two McLarens were in a class of our own, making up a lot of ground off the line. The point is that if we are lacking the downforce levels of the guys who are winning, at least KERS gives us an advantage in another way. I had a good weekend in Germany and there were some surprising performances, some good some bad from other teams and I think this is because, apart from the two top teams, everything is so close that if you have the slightest problem or one lap that isn’t as good as it should be you can slide down the time sheet from fifth to fifteenth. After my day in Maranello, I’ll be heading home to Monaco and I will stay there until Wednesday when it will be time to go to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix. I haven’t got very good results at this race but that doesn’t mean I don’t race well there: if you remember last year I had the win in my pocket, but then my engine unfortunately let me down with just two laps to go. It’s a nice circuit to drive even if it’s not really one of my favourites, but ask me how we will get on in this race and to be honest I really don’t know. I hope we can carry on making improvements to our package, carrying on in the same direction as in Germany.

Toro Rosso preview

Q & A with Giorgio Ascanelli Q. We seem to have slid to the back of the grid over the past few races. Why? Giorgio Ascanelli: There are several factors why our performance hasn't matched up to what it was in the second half of last season. The first is that the drivers are very important and last year, Vettel matured enormously, getting over the difficult phase every young driver does, not understanding why he was fast or slow. A second factor was that last year, within the limits of our own capabilities, we went down a different route to Red Bull Racing, particularly with suspension and the braking system that was different to their car. The third point is that last year we were racing in an era where the technical rules had been more or less stable for a decade so performance levels flatten out, making it harder to come up with something new. This year, the pace of development has speeded up enormously and as a small team, we have been unable to keep up with that. Today, Red Bull for example is producing large steps forward in development on a monthly basis. We cannot do that as we don't have the manpower. Furthermore, with a young and inexperienced driver like Buemi, when we do introduce changes, it is naturally harder for him to adapt to those changes. Q. Is that a criticism of Buemi? GA: Absolutely not: to date, he has taken part in just nine grands prix and in four of those he retired early. Add in the fact there is no testing and he is getting very little time in the car. When a young driver first comes into F1, he is like a daredevil, taking risks, but as his understanding increases and he suffers a few set backs, it knocks his confidence which then has to be rebuilt. We cannot expect him to learn any faster: he is trying his best and doing a good job. Remember that when Vettel came to us, he had done one year as a third driver for BMW and had even taken part in one Grand Prix, but he could do no better than qualify eighteenth for us in his first race, in Hungary. Q. We've been talking about this technical upgrade for weeks now. What is it? GA: In Hungary we have a major upgrade, which includes the floor, rear wing, rear wing endplates, a nose which has had to pass a new impact test, new brake ducts etc. - pretty much the whole damn lot! We've worked our hardest to get this modification package and to do it this year is much harder than the work we did last year. Q. But don't you just get all the new bits from Red Bull Technology in the UK? GA: There is a view that the only difference between our car and the Red Bull Racing one is the engine, but that is inaccurate. It involves the engine, gearbox, clutch, hydraulic system, water, oil and electrical systems; and all this on top of the actual aero parts in terms of bodywork. The further complication is that, although we have not run it, our car was designed so that it could incorporate the Ferrari KERS system and that is very different to the one used by Renault, around which the RB5 was designed. Therefore, we are not in a "cut and paste" situation when it came to getting the parts. It was not a case of getting a drawing from Red Bull Technology and simply manufacturing it. The two cars might look the same but if you try and fit the bodywork from one on the other, it would not fit. The rear suspension is also different because, in order to maintain the same wheelbase, it needed a different arrangement. Q. Will it bring a performance advantage? GA: I will tell you once we've run it at the race track. Q. If you had to situate our car in Hungary specification with Red Bull Racing's development, where would it be? GA: It would be a package equivalent to the one they introduced at the British Grand Prix. Q. Will it be good enough to score points? GA: That depends how far forward the other teams have gone, because nothing stays still in this sport. It's not as simple as saying 'last year we made a technical step forward for the second half of the year and performed well so the same thing will happen again.' Last year, the Italian media was keen for me to puff out my chest and say ‘oh yes, I am very clever and I have managed to outperform our Red Bull cousins,' but the simple answer about the end of last year is that Vettel is a great driver. I wasn't a genius last year, but I don't think I am an idiot this year! Preview Scuderia Toro Rosso will tackle the final eight races of the season with a new technical upgrade package and one new driver you will have to wait a few more days to find out who he is. Team Principal Franz Tost and Technical Director Giorgio Ascanelli answer the obvious questions. Franz Tost The season got off to a reasonable start with a few points finishes, but then the team appeared to get left behind. Why was that? Toro Rosso had quite a successful start to the season, scoring points in Australia and China and later, in Monaco, we picked up another one. However, from then on, we lost touch with the other mid-field runners. There are various reasons for this: firstly, the other teams improved their cars, regularly producing updates to their technical package. We introduced a few small updates, but nothing major. For example, we are the only team never to have run with a double diffuser, one of the key elements to car performance this year. Why? It was a financial decision. Rather than incur the costs of constant updates, we chose to keep costs within budget by waiting, before delivering one major update package, which will make its race debut at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Secondly, apart from the limitations on car development, we also had one driver who did not live up to our expectations. Can we really expect to see a step forward in the final part of this season? We expect that the technical upgrades should see us return to a level of competitiveness that we were able to demonstrate in the second half of last season. How do you rate Buemi's performance? Buemi has done a really good job so far. You have to consider that, as the only rookie on the grid this year, he is the first real victim of the in-season testing ban. He had therefore never driven at circuits like Silverstone or the Nurburgring in a Formula 1 car, which is completely different to tackling them in other types of car. While he knows the tracks from Formula 3 or GP2, it is not at all the same, because F1 is much more complex and little details like how track conditions usually change from the third free practice session on Saturday morning, to qualifying that same afternoon, are all part of the package that only comes with experience. Up until this year, we would have done a minimum of three days testing at Silverstone for example, prior to the British Grand Prix and at many other race venues. But you can't have everything and while we are saving money through not testing, the downside is that young drivers will suffer. What we can say is that Buemi will be a much more complete driver for the 2010 season. Giorgio Ascanelli We seem to have slid to the back of the grid over the past few races. Why? There are several factors why our performance hasn't matched up to what it was in the second half of last season. The first is that the drivers are very important and last year, Vettel matured enormously, getting over the difficult phase every young driver does, not understanding why he was fast or slow. A second factor was that last year, within the limits of our own capabilities, we went down a different route to Red Bull Racing, particularly with suspension and the braking system that was different to their car. The third point is that last year we were racing in an era where the technical rules had been more or less stable for a decade so performance levels flatten out, making it harder to come up with something new. This year, the pace of development has speeded up enormously and as a small team, we have been unable to keep up with that. Today, Red Bull for example is producing large steps forward in development on a monthly basis. We cannot do that as we don't have the manpower. Furthermore, with a young and inexperienced driver like Buemi, when we do introduce changes, it is naturally harder for him to adapt to those changes. Is that a criticism of Buemi? Absolutely not: to date, he has taken part in just nine grands prix and in four of those he retired early. Add in the fact there is no testing and he is getting very little time in the car. When a young driver first comes into F1, he is like a daredevil, taking risks, but as his understanding increases and he suffers a few set backs, it knocks his confidence which then has to be rebuilt. We cannot expect him to learn any faster: he is trying his best and doing a good job. Remember that when Vettel came to us, he had done one year as a third driver for BMW and had even taken part in one Grand Prix, but he could do no better than qualify eighteenth for us in his first race, in Hungary. We've been talking about this technical upgrade for weeks now. What is it? In Hungary we have a major upgrade, which includes the floor, rear wing, rear wing endplates, a nose which has had to pass a new impact test, new brake ducts etc. pretty much the whole damn lot! We've worked our hardest to get this modification package and to do it this year is much harder than the work we did last year. But don't you just get all the new bits from Red Bull Technology in the UK? There is a view that the only difference between our car and the Red Bull Racing one is the engine, but that is inaccurate. It involves the engine, gearbox, clutch, hydraulic system, water, oil and electrical systems; and all this on top of the actual aero parts in terms of bodywork. The further complication is that, although we have not run it, our car was designed so that it could incorporate the Ferrari KERS system and that is very different to the one used by Renault, around which the RB5 was designed. Therefore, we are not in a "cut and paste" situation when it came to getting the parts. It was not a case of getting a drawing from Red Bull Technology and simply manufacturing it. The two cars might look the same but if you try and fit the bodywork from one on the other, it would not fit. The rear suspension is also different because, in order to maintain the same wheelbase, it needed a different arrangement. Will it bring a performance advantage? I will tell you once we've run it at the race track. If you had to situate our car in Hungary specification with Red Bull Racing's development, where would it be? It would be a package equivalent to the one they introduced at the British Grand Prix. Will it be good enough to score points? That depends how far forward the other teams have gone, because nothing stays still in this sport. It's not as simple as saying `last year we made a technical step forward for the second half of the year and performed well so the same thing will happen again.' Last year, the Italian media was keen for me to puff out my chest and say `oh yes, I am very clever and I have managed to outperform our Red Bull cousins,' but the simple answer about the end of last year is that Vettel is a great driver. I wasn't a genius last year, but I don't think I am an idiot this year!

BMW preview

*Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber 2008 Qualifying - 4th, 2008 Race - 8th “Hungary is a very special Grand Prix for me. In 2006 I made my debut there, and there are always a lot of Polish fans as Budapest is quite close to Poland. Last year was amazing - it was like being in Poland. The Hungaroring is very special, tricky and physically demanding. Driving the main straight is the only time you can recover. Almost over the entire track you leave one corner and immediately approach the next. Beyond that, it is very hot in Hungary, which makes it demanding for the driver and the tyres. As a lot of corners are quite bumpy, the car’s balance will be another crucial factor.” *Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber 2008 Qualifying - 15th, 2008 Race - 10th “I’m very fond of the Hungaroring. The track suits me and I also have some good memories of racing there and achieving good results in the past. It was in Hungary in 1999 that I secured an early championship title in Formula 3000, and in 2006 and 2007 I was on the podium for BMW Sauber. We can generally expect high air temperatures in Hungary. That doesn’t bother me from a physical point of view, although the races on this twisty circuit are always exhausting, and it could help us get the tyres into the temperature window to work well. One drawback in terms of grip, especially at the start of the weekend, is always the dust that blows onto the track from the surrounding landscape.” *Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport director “This year our team heads for the Hungarian Grand Prix with muted expectations. So far our car just hasn’t been fast enough for any top placings. We are nevertheless working flat-out on ongoing development of the F1.09 - for two reasons. This year’s new aerodynamic regulations will remain the same for next season. What we are learning from our present car will flow virtually 1:1 into the concept for the F1.10. Besides that, under the test ban in force, the race weekend offers the only chance to track-test new developments and components. It’s an opportunity that has to be utilised. Beyond that, we naturally want to prove to our fans and, not least, to ourselves that we are also capable of reversing a deficit.” Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber head of engineering “After Monaco, the Hungaroring has the second-lowest average speed of all the Formula One circuits. The mainly slow and medium-fast corners follow in quick succession and the start/finish straight is relatively short. Because dust continually blows onto the track, grip levels tend to be low at the beginning of each of the practice sessions, which can lead to understeer. For the car set-up the focus is primarily on the middle sector with its variety of corner combinations. Another factor that has to be taken into account is that the rear tyres come under heavy loads during the race. Air and track temperatures are traditionally very high in Hungary, which should favour the optimal use of tyres.”

McLaren preview

*Lewis Hamilton, McLaren 2008 Qualifying - 1st, 2008 Race - 5th “The Hungaroring is one of the most demanding circuits for drivers because you’re busy throughout the entire lap. It’s a bit like a kart circuit - there are lots of twists and turns and the only place to relax is along the start/finish straight, which is quite short. It’s also quite low-grip which makes overtaking particularly tricky. But I really enjoy the place - I won here in 2007 and was on pole last year. It’s a circuit that really rewards consistent, precise driving - push too hard and you tend to lose rather than gain time. Given the potential we showed in Germany last weekend, I’m hopeful of getting a result that demonstrates the improvement we’ve made over the past few weeks.” *Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren 2008 Qualifying - 2nd, 2008 Race - 1st “Obviously, I won in Hungary in 2008 so it will be nice to come back to Budapest again. This race is likely to be won or lost in qualifying: you’ve got to be at the front and run an aggressive first stint if you are to succeed in the race. The track is also quite hard on tyres so you need to find a balance that will allow you to look after your rubber until the finish - the softer rubber, in particular, tends to suffer at the end of the race so you have to be careful. I’m really looking to running the team’s new upgrade package this weekend. I had a strong weekend at the Nurburgring and I didn’t let a single car past me in the race - with the improved car I’m really hopeful of getting another strong result at the Hungaroring.” Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal “While Lewis demonstrated during practice and qualifying at the Nurburgring that our upgrade package appears to provide us with a sizeable step forward in performance, it was frustrating that damage to the rear bodywork left us unable to fully ascertain that benefit in the race itself. For Budapest, both Lewis and Heikki will be equipped with the new package and we are hopeful that it will enable us to mount a more sustained attack towards the front of the field. The Hungaroring is a circuit where we as a team have enjoyed many successes in the past and we travel there this weekend hoping to provide concrete evidence that we’re decisively turning our fortunes around for the remainder of the season.” Norbert Haug, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Vice-President "The Grand Prix circuit just outside Budapest is, after Monaco, the one with the lowest average speed. The layout, consisting of more slower corners, where mechanical grip is especially important, should suit us quite well - as demonstrated already in Monaco. However, I currently would consider our technical performance still not good enough to repeat last year’s victory with Heikki - but in any case we at least have been in the lead for a few metres at the Nurburgring - until Lewis’s right-rear tyre was hit which caused a deflated tyre, damaging the underfloor - which prevented Lewis later from achieving good lap times. Everybody in the team is giving it their all to continue the upward trend with both cars.”

Renault preview

The ING Renault F1 Team looks forward to round ten of the season, the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest. *Fernando Alonso: “I always enjoy going back to Budapest” Fernando, despite scoring just two points in Germany, the R29 appears to have taken a step forward&ldots; We have definitely improved and the latest upgrades made us much more competitive. It’s just a shame that I lost out in the wet qualifying because starting down in 12th meant I was out of position and couldn’t show the true pace of the car in the first half of the race. When I did have some clean air, the car was really quick and I set the fastest time for 11 laps of the race so I think we had the potential to be on the podium. It’s always easy to say what might have been, but to come away with just two points was a bit disappointing. The next race is in Budapest, the circuit where you won your first Grand Prix. Do you enjoy going back to where it all began? The memories of my win in 2003 are very special as it was also Renault’s first victory since returning to Formula One and it gave the whole team a lot of motivation and self-belief. I always enjoy visiting Budapest as it’s a beautiful city, the people are friendly and there is usually a relaxed atmosphere in the paddock as everybody is looking forward to their summer holidays. Tell us about the track and how you will set the car up? It’s one of the slowest tracks of the season and you are almost constantly in a corner so the track is quite demanding mentally and physically, especially with the high temperatures. With so many low-speed corners you need a stable front end because if you understeer wide it will cost you a lot of time. Good traction and mechanical grip are also important to get a clean exit from the slow corners. Overtaking is really difficult and the only real opportunity is into turn one at the end of the main straight, so it’s important that we maximise our performance in qualifying so we can start the race well inside the top ten. Nelson Piquet: “Points must be the target in Hungary” Nelson, you had mixed fortunes in Germany. Talk us through your weekend&ldots; It wasn’t an easy weekend as the weather kept changing, especially during qualifying. It was good to get through to Q3 but then I had a poor start to the race and struggled to get heat into the hard tyres, which cost me a lot of places on the first lap. After that I pushed hard, but my car didn’t have the new updates that Fernando had and it was difficult to make much progress or match Fernando’s pace. Hungary is a circuit where you’ve been successful in the past. Are you looking forward to this year’s race? I enjoyed Hungary last year and it was probably one of my best races as I finished sixth. It’s also a circuit where I won in GP2. Although there are no quick corners, it’s a fun place to drive and the twisty layout makes it feel like a go-kart track. It’s still quite challenging and you have to find the rhythm of the circuit and be accurate through the slow corners as the exit of one corner is the entry to the next. Any mistakes therefore cost you a lot of time. What are your aims for next weekend? I should have the same upgrades as Fernando in Hungary and I think I can be more competitive. As always I will be aiming to qualify in the top ten and hopefully score some points in the race. Qualifying will be vital as it’s so tough to overtake at the Hungaroring because the braking zones are small and it’s very dirty offline, so it’s important that we concentrate on getting the most from Saturday. Bob Bell: “We need to deliver another strong performance in Hungary” Bob, the team took a big step forward in Germany. What do you feel made the difference? The upgrades we introduced certainly improved the aerodynamic and mechanical performance of the car and allowed us to be much more competitive. When you develop the car to a level where the drivers feel really comfortable and confident with it, you often get a lot more gains than you would expect from the sum of those parts on paper. I think we saw a good example of that at the Nürburgring and Fernando in particular was able to raise his game and get the most from the new parts that he had on his car. Despite coming away from Germany with just two points, the R29 was the fastest car in the race. You must be optimistic for the rest of the season&ldots; It is encouraging, but we need to be cautious and not get too excited by a single performance. We now need to go to Hungary and consolidate that performance improvement to confirm that the pace of the car is genuine and not simply due to unique circumstances in Germany, such as the track conditions or tyre performance. Will there be more updates in Hungary? In Germany we only had the new updates on Fernando’s car, but next weekend Nelson will have the same upgrades as Fernando. There will also be some more bodywork updates that should take us another step further forward. Hungary will also give us more time to optimise all the previous upgrades in terms of car set-up, so I expect to see further benefits coming from the upgrade package we introduced in Germany. Is the tight and twisty nature of the Hungaroring likely to suit the R29? The problems we have been experiencing with the car in the first half of the year have not been related to specific circuit characteristics and are more general as we were lacking a little bit of performance in all areas of the car. To some extent those deficiencies have been corrected by the recent upgrades and so there’s no reason why we can’t produce a similar level of performance in Hungary as we did in Germany. The Hungaroring is also a circuit Fernando enjoys and has always gone well at so I think he can be competitive again. Hungaroring: Tech File The Hungaroring presents plenty of challenges for drivers and engineers alike. The circuit features no high-speed corners, leading the team to run the highest possible downforce levels, while the primary concern for the engine team is ensuring good cooling in the usually hot conditions. The high summer temperatures also make life difficult for the drivers, who need to be in peak physical condition to cope with a race that gives them very little respite over its 70-lap distance. Aerodynamics The twisting, 14-corner layout of the Hungaroring features just one legitimate overtaking opportunity per lap, into turn one. Apart from this straight of just over 700m, the circuit is filled with sequences of low to medium-speed corners, with short braking distances which make overtaking nearly impossible. The result is that the teams all run with maximum downforce levels, similar if not identical to those used in Monaco, in order to optimise not just cornering speeds, but also braking and traction. Maximum speeds achieved on the main straight rarely exceed 300km/h with the V8 engines. Fernando explains: “The circuit is quite intense for the drivers, as there are so many corners in a short lap. The high levels of downforce mean we can be quite aggressive with the car, and the physical loads are high in the quicker corners. The section of track from turns 8 to 11 is all about accuracy, and anticipating the next corner. You need to find a good rhythm through the corners, and have confidence in a stable car balance to steer a smooth, quick course through this sequence.” Suspension Mechanical grip is an important factor at a low-speed circuit such as this, and teams will generally try to run the car with softer settings all round to improve mechanical grip. The drivers want a responsive car in the low-speed sections, with good traction on corner exit, which will usually lead the teams to a forward mechanical bias (stiffer front/softer rear) in terms of set-up. However, rear tyre wear must be monitored very carefully, particularly to avoid overloading the softer compound available this weekend. Tyres Bridgestone will bring the soft and super-soft compounds from its 2009 range this weekend. The low-grip circuit conditions, coupled with the absence of high-speed corners, make these choices possible. As has become customary, the tyre management challenge for the weekend will be to control graining on the softest compound, and this should improve as the circuit rubbers-in throughout the weekend. Data collected during practice will determine whether the super-soft is suitable for use during the majority of the race, while cooler-than-expected temperatures, or overnight rain washing the circuit clean of rubber, could further complicate matters. Fernando explains: “The track is always quite green and dusty at the start of the weekend, but it improves with every session and picks up a lot of grip as more rubber goes down. The first corner is the biggest braking zone and the only real overtaking opportunity on the circuit. It’s a downhill right-hander that we approach in seventh gear at just under 300 km/h before braking down to 90km/h and downshifting to second gear. You need to take an early apex as the corner opens up on the exit so it’s important to have good traction and get on the throttle early to carry good speed on the approach to turn two.” Cooling Another important chassis parameter will be ensuring good cooling of the mechanical parts. Although the car’s cooling capacity is now well-known, attention must be paid to ensuring the radiators are still well-cooled in spite of the high levels of front downforce we run at this circuit. This will have been the object of particular attention in the wind tunnel, and will be fine-tuned during the weekend to ensure the cooling solution required brings the minimum performance penalty. Engine With the longest period spent at full throttle barely exceeding ten seconds, and with only 56% of the lap spent at full throttle (significantly lower than the average), this is not a demanding circuit for the engine. Of the 14 corners, five are taken in second gear at around 100km/h. Unlike Monaco, where the cars reach abnormally slow speeds in the hairpins, the minimum speed at the Hungaroring is approximately 90km/h. This means the engine spends the majority of its time in a relatively narrow operating window between 100km/h and 250km/h, and the closely-spaced gear ratios we use are selected to ensure optimum performance in this range. As always on a circuit featuring a large number of slow corners, good torque is important to help launch the cars out of the turns. Brief *Fernando Alonso, Renault 2008 Qualifying - 7th, 2008 Race - 4th The memories of my win in 2003 in Hungary are very special as it was also Renault's first victory since returning to Formula One and it gave the whole team a lot of motivation and self-belief. I always enjoy visiting Budapest as it's a beautiful city, the people are friendly and there is usually a relaxed atmosphere in the paddock as everybody is looking forward to their summer holidays. It's one of the slowest tracks of the season and you are almost constantly in a corner so the track is quite demanding mentally and physically, especially with the high temperatures. With so many low-speed corners you need a stable front end because if you understeer wide it will cost you a lot of time. Good traction and mechanical grip are also important to get a clean exit from the slow corners. Overtaking is really difficult and the only real opportunity is into turn one at the end of the main straight, so it's important that we maximise our performance in qualifying so we can start the race well inside the top ten.” Nelson Piquet, Renault 2008 Qualifying - 10th, 2008 Race - 6th “I enjoyed Hungary last year and it was probably one of my best races as I finished sixth. It's also a circuit where I won in GP2. Although there are no quick corners, it's a fun place to drive and the twisty layout makes it feel like a go-kart track. It's still quite challenging and you have to find the rhythm of the circuit and be accurate through the slow corners as the exit of one corner is the entry to the next. Any mistakes therefore cost you a lot of time. I should have the same upgrades as Fernando in Hungary and I think I can be more competitive. As always I will be aiming to qualify in the top ten and hopefully score some points in the race. Qualifying will be vital as it's so tough to overtake at the Hungaroring because the braking zones are small and it's very dirty offline, so it's important that we concentrate on getting the most from Saturday.” Bob Bell, Renault technical director “In Germany we only had the new updates on Fernando's car, but next weekend Nelson will have the same upgrades as Fernando. There will also be some more bodywork updates that should take us another step further forward. Hungary will also give us more time to optimise all the previous upgrades in terms of car set-up, so I expect to see further benefits coming from the upgrade package we introduced in Germany. The problems we have been experiencing with the car in the first half of the year have not been related to specific circuit characteristics and are more general as we were lacking a little bit of performance in all areas of the car. To some extent those deficiencies have been corrected by the recent upgrades and so there's no reason why we can't produce a similar level of performance in Hungary as we did in Germany. The Hungaroring is also a circuit Fernando enjoys and has always gone well at so I think he can be competitive again.”

Ferrari preview

Massa: "carrying on in the same direction as in Germany" Maranello, 17th July 2009 - Four days after the German Grand Prix is obviously much too long to go for a racing driver without being on a race track! So after going home to Monaco on Sunday night I travelled to a place called Lonato, near Lake Garda in Italy to have some fun karting. It was like a Formula 1 race here, there was Michael (Schumacher), Kubica, Glock, Liuzzi and Nelsinho (Piquet) and Klien. It wasn’t a special event, it wasn’t even a race, we just decided to come here and have some fun driving 125 karts with gears. I think we all miss the F1 testing and this is a good way to keep fit and busy. Thursday afternoon, I travelled to Maranello as I attended an event there which involves driving some of our customers around the Fiorano race track. Going back a few days to the German Grand Prix, being on the podium was a good feeling but also a strange feeling at the same time and it was definitely something I’d been missing. In a difficult season this was nice because it’s a sign of the improvement going on within our team. In the past few races we’ve been scoring points again, always in the top five so to do even better and finish on the podium was good, not just for me but also in terms of motivating everyone in the team and at the factory. It proves we are still fighting but it is important for us to keep working. At Ferrari we are often asked why we have continued to use KERS and if you watched the helicopter shot of the start of the race you would have seen that me and Kimi and the two McLarens were in a class of our own, making up a lot of ground off the line. The point is that if we are lacking the downforce levels of the guys who are winning, at least KERS gives us an advantage in another way. I had a good weekend in Germany and there were some surprising performances, some good some bad from other teams and I think this is because, apart from the two top teams, everything is so close that if you have the slightest problem or one lap that isn’t as good as it should be you can slide down the time sheet from fifth to fifteenth. After my day in Maranello, I’ll be heading home to Monaco and I will stay there until Wednesday when it will be time to go to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix. I haven’t got very good results at this race but that doesn’t mean I don’t race well there: if you remember last year I had the win in my pocket, but then my engine unfortunately let me down with just two laps to go. It’s a nice circuit to drive even if it’s not really one of my favourites, but ask me how we will get on in this race and to be honest I really don’t know. I hope we can carry on making improvements to our package, carrying on in the same direction as in Germany.

Hungarian Grand Prixview: Newey's Thoughts On 2009

With the team currently lying second in both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships we spoke to Adrian Newey to ask for his views on the first half of the campaign. RB5 was good enough to give the Brawn a run for its money even before the scramble to produce a double diffuser. How much did the work involved in fitting a double diffuser to our car upset the the planned development programme? AN: "It was a huge amount of work as the car wasn’t designed to work with a double diffuser and, in particular, it wasn’t an easy marriage with the pullrod rear suspension. We decided we didn’t have the resources to redesign the gearbox and rear suspension to better suit the double diffuser concept, so we kept the existing mechanical package and adapt as best we could. The first attempt was our Monaco package, which was a small step that didn’t work as well as we would have liked. The second step was then introduced for the British Grand Prix." Did this affect the overall development programme of the car? AN: "It took up a lot of my time and during that intensive two month period I was less involved with the rest of the car than I would normally have been. But we were able to handle our usual development in parallel." Red Bull Racing and indeed all the other teams, have brought in new developments with no testing. Does this mean that testing has been something of a red herring over the past years or would this year’s cars be much quicker if testing had continued as before? AN: "It’s difficult to say. When you introduce something without testing, you are reliant on your research tools: wind tunnel testing primarily, CFD and simulation to a lesser extent. As we are now introducing new elements at race weekends, if we have stepped in the wrong direction by a small amount, it’s hard to notice, as we are unable to do back-to-back testing to quite the same level as we used to. But we do use the Fridays of a grand prix as a test session, as well as for preparation for the rest of the weekend." Is tyres the one area where you really feel the lack of testing, as we have seen some unusual situations on the tyre side so far this year? AN: "Some of what we have seen with tyres this season has been very circuit and temperature specific. If your tests are not at the circuits you race on, or at the temperatures you encounter at the race weekend, then the problems with the tyres might not necessarily show up." Leaving aside the Brawns, who do you expect to mount a serious challenge over the next few races? AN: "I think anybody can. We saw McLaren and Renault make a big step forward at the Nuerburgring and we ourselves made a step forward at Silverstone. As teams introduce new packages, it’s possible for them to make a good step forward – that has been a trademark of the season so far and may well continue to be so for the rest of the year." At the moment, it seems likely that Red Bull Racing will have to persevere with development of this year’s car right to the end of the season if it is in the fight for both titles. What effect will that have on the 2010 car? AN: "It’s a problem we face every year. Last year, research carried out on RB4 for the balance of last season had no application to the 2009 car because of the regulation change. That is not the case this year; development parts we find for RB5 will be applied to RB6 and possibly even vice versa as we start to research RB6." *Are you surprised to see where Red Bull Racing is now in the championship? Did you expect things to be going this well? AN: "We made reasonable progress through the last couple of years which, for Red Bull Technology, culminated in the win at Monza last year. Then, with the big change in regulations, we had the opportunity to do something new and different and possibly steal a march on more established competitors. Last year, we continued to develop RB4 and TR3 fairly aggressively right through the summer. Other teams abandoned their 08 car somewhat earlier. Given our resources, that did stretch us quite thin last summer. We managed it as best we could and split up our development teams. We were probably one of the latest starters on the 09 car. We managed to find a few novel features that have helped to make the car competitive and from then on it’s been a case of developing it." On a personal note, you looked quite emotional standing on the Silverstone podium after the one-two finish in the British GP. How did that feel? AN: "To be honest, the three months leading up to Silverstone had been very hard work, as we developed the car to adapt it to the double diffuser. So to see that, as a package, make the difference at Silverstone was a great feeling." Q & A with Christian Horner Q. As we go into the second half of the season are the pressures you now have to deal with different to those of last year, or even at the start of this season? Christian Horner: The rewards on track are different, but the pressures are the same. We are working as hard as possible to get as much performance as possible, as quickly as we can. Everyone at the factory has a spring in their step at the moment, even if the pace of development required to meet this year's major regulation change has been relentless. There are a lot of unsung heroes at the factory, putting in superhuman efforts and hours to get the components on the car. Q. How has the operation at Milton Keynes changed, to produce the performances we have seen so far this season? CH: There were already signs of a change last year, when RB4 delivered reasonable performance in the first half of the season, while in the second half Red Bull Technology had good results with Toro Rosso, in what was essentially an identical car. The design group has really gelled and is working cohesively and the integration across the whole group, R&D and the production side, is working very well. This is down to stability and continuity in what is still a relatively young team. *Q. The race team at the track seems to be working well too and it features lots of new faces. What effect has that had on performance? CH: The faces new to the race team are not new to the company, as they were all on the test team last year. It's a testimony to how strong the test team was that, when we conducted the difficult exercise over the winter when as all the other teams we had to make redundancies, we went through a scrupulously fair system to identify the best candidates for the roles we had available. The group of guys in the garage are brilliant. The camaraderie between the two car crews and the way they work for each other is fantastic; the team spirit is very strong this year. Q. Does the team have any weak points? CH: You can always do better. Putting aside our performance and two dominant one-two finishes in the last two races, the team's determination to continue to improve and not to take anything for granted is very important. There are no obvious weaknesses in our armoury, but as a group we must continue to push ourselves in all areas all the time. Q. Going back a few races, what do you remember about standing on an F1 podium for the first time after the win in China? CH: It was a very proud moment representing Red Bull at the team's first win, having been here since the beginning. Looking down and seeing the faces of all the guys looking up at the podium and standing next to the two drivers who'd driven brilliantly is a moment I will certainly always remember. It was a great feeling, especially at the end of such a long race of almost two hours, held in atrocious conditions. *Q. At the start of the season, Mark Webber, partly because of his cycling accident, was being positioned as something of an underdog up against new boy Vettel. What do you think about that? CH: Our drivers are both at the top of their game at different stages in their career and they are pushing one another very hard. I think we've got the best driver line-up in F1 at the moment. When I saw Mark in early January, he'd forgotten to mention he'd also broken his shoulder! He couldn't put any weight on his right leg and I remember thinking 'this is going to be interesting!' He was resolute in his determination to drive the new car at its launch. After he drove RB5 for the first time, there was a look of relief in his eyes, as I think he was unsure if he would still have the same feeling in his right foot and how he would cope with the bumps on track. From then on, there was never any doubt he was going to be fit for Melbourne. In typical Aussie fashion, he carried the injury without letting on about how much pain and discomfort he was feeling. He's had great support and his physios and trainers have done a great job. I think it's only now we are seeing Mark at the level of fitness he was at prior to his injury and his recent results show he is absolutely on the form of his life. Sebastian is undoubtedly a star in the making. He shows remarkable maturity, given his lack of experience. He is a prodigious talent who will continue to get better. The best is yet to come from him. Both men are being treated with total fairness within the team and are supplied with identical equipment. Q. At what point will you have to think about team orders between the two drivers in terms of the championship? CH: We will continue to support both drivers equally. There's only a point and a half between them, so obviously they are both in contention for the Drivers' Championship. There's a long way to go to catch up with Jenson Button. If and when we reach a point where there is a significant gap, or it becomes mathematically impossible for one of them to challenge for the Championship, then they are both team players and one of them will play a supporting role should it be required. Our intention is to see both of them catch the lead Brawn as quickly as possible.

Interview with Adrian Sutil

Adrian Sutil had a sensational weekend in Germany, qualifying seventh and climbing to second before his first pit stop. Sadly his race was compromised in a collision with 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen as he left the pits, which led to a stop for a new nose and a guaranteed top eight finish was lost. Nevertheless the race did a lot of good for Adrian’s reputation, and showed that Force India is making good progress. We spoke to the German driver about his remarkable weekend. Q: You did a great job to qualify seventh. How did the session go for you? It was a great session for us. I was really happy at the end, for sure one of F1’s happiest guys ! It was my best-ever qualifying position in F1. It was very tricky with the weather but our decisions were very good and on time, although it was very difficult because we had to communicate quite a lot. We took a risk on the dry tyres in Q2 but we did it really well, and I managed to do a quick lap before the rain, which took me through to Q3. Then I was still able to fight for positions as it was not enough just being 10th in Q3. Even with the fuel on board Q3 went really well and we got into seventh. Q: How did you feel when you found out that you qualified heavier than the two Ferraris behind you on the grid? It was really satisfying for everybody – when I saw their fuel loads, I was the heaviest car in top 10 qualifying. It was even like another pole position for us. It was surprising but we just did a really good job that day. Q: How did things go at the start of the race? My start was OK. I was on the harder tyre and it was difficult to start on this option, because the grip level was not so high. We were also a little worried about the KERS cars in front and behind, but I managed to stay more or less in position. I tried to really keep on pushing for the first corner and defend my position, and not lose too much. It worked fine, I was in eighth by the end of the first lap. Then after three laps I could start to push and really have my balance back with the warm tyres. Q: How was your first stint? It was not so bad, but I knew it was going to be hard to keep the Ferraris behind as they were on the soft tyres and had KERS off the start. But even given this it was a great start to the race as I was still with the cars in front but not close enough to lose any downforce. I was right behind Kimi for a long time in the first stint and at one point I was even up to second and not too far behind Barrichello, who was leading at that point. Q: How did you feel coming into your first stop in second place? It was the best position I’d ever been in in F1 and it felt really good! It just gave me even more happiness and even more power in the car. I was so happy and enjoying it so much. Q: When you came out of the pits you obviously saw Massa go past. Did you know Kimi was there too? I knew he was there as my engineer Brad had told me to watch the white line and that he was coming when I was on the way out of the pitlane. I entered the corner first. Kimi tried on the outside, which was OK. But there was plenty more space – he could have gone to the side, because I was on new tyres and it was really slippery. I couldn’t have made any crazy moves, otherwise I would have lost my car. When you see my on-board I took the corner normally, I tried to push to be able to have a good exit, but I was quite limited when I was already on the inside for the braking for Turn One. If I didn’t try to accelerate out of the corner it’s not racing any more, I might well have just waved him by and said come on, pass me please! You have to defend your position. Q: Have you spoken to Kimi? We spoke about it, and everybody agreed it’s a race incident. It’s a shame as at the time I was just behind Massa, who went on to finish third. Obviously some drivers made good progress in the second half of the race, so I think seventh or eighth position would have been possible. I think points, definitely. Q: You’ve had great races in the wet in the past, but do you think you’ve really proved something mixing it with those guys in the dry? I hope so. Everybody knows I’ve had some good races in the wet, but it was time to show it in the dry. You need a really good car, that’s for sure and our car had a good step, which helped me to show a good performance. I’m just happy for everybody. Right now we need a good push but the team knows we are going in the right direction and the guys in the wind tunnel are all working really well. I think we can expect quite a lot in the next few races. Q: Any thoughts on Hungary – will it suit the car? Normally we don’t have any particular circuit where we are good or bad. There are a few where we are maybe a little bit better, but we are quite consistent with our performance, which is why I think it might suit us. But it’s similar to Monaco, and in Monaco, we had a good result, so who knows. I’d love to be able to finish the job there.

Scuderia Toro Rosso Hungarian Track Record

The Hungaroring is often referred to as 'Monaco without the barriers', because it is tight, twisty and slow, with minimal overtaking. Nevertheless, it has produced some cracking races and the drivers like the challenge presented by its eclectic mix of corner types. Because of the lack of action the track sees throughout the year, and the unusual fact that the circuit is built on sandy ground, the track surface is covered in sand and dust, especially on Friday, when everyone hopes another team will go out first and act as a road sweeper. In fact, for the entire weekend, moving off the racing line means the tyres take ages to clean up again, adding to the difficult of overtaking. The first F1 race staged here was in 1986 and regardless of the potentially negative aspects of the track, Hungaroring has had its fair share of gruelling battles. In 1989, Nigel Mansell, never a man to accept the status quo, decided he’d win the race from 12th on the grid, making a blinding passing move on Ayrton Senna on the way to victory. No fan of the underdog can ever forget Damon Hill’s sterling performance in an Arrows in 1997, when he led most of the race but suffered some sort of failure on the last lap and trudged home second. Looking back at only the second Grand Prix to be raced here, in 1990, Thierry Bousten ran a fantastic race, keeping the champion-elect, Ayrton Senna, behind him for the entire race, despite having a slower car. In its 20 year history the circuit has witnessed two drivers winning the World Championship early in the season: Nigel Mansell in 1992 and Michael Schumacher in 2001. Not only this but three drivers have won their first Grands Prix here. Fernando Alonso became the first Spanish GP winner of all time in 2003, whilst Heikki Kovalainen won his first Grand Prix in 2008. Relevant to the current season, a certain Jenson Button won his first Grand Prix here in 2006, in the wet, and he will certainly be one of the favourites for the win this year. Our track record here looks like this:   2006: Speed – 11th Liuzzi – DNF 2007: Vettel – 16th Liuzzi – DNF   2008: Bourdais – 18th Vettel – DNF