Formula 1 / 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix Preview / Honda Racing F1 Team
Julio 30, 2008 – 12:30 am | por admin |2008/07/30 – Round eleven of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship takes the Honda Racing F1 Team to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The 70-lap race is one of the most technically and physically demanding of the year, thanks to the twisting and tortuous nature of the 4.381km (2.722-mile) Hungaroring.
Hungary has been a regular fixture on the F1 calendar since 1986, when more than 200,000 people turned up to see Nelson Piquet win the inaugural race in a Williams-Honda. Since then Honda has won at the Hungaroring on five further occasions, the most recent victory coming in 2006 when Jenson Button emerged victorious from the only wet race in the Hungarian Grand Prix’s history. Rubens Barrichello has had his share of success at the track as well, having won the race for Ferrari in 2002.
The Honda Racing F1 Team heads to Hungary on the back of a successful four-day test session at Jerez last week, where various updates for the RA108 car were evaluated, along with the latest specification of Bridgestone’s 2009 slick tyres.
HUNGARORING – THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGE
Track temperature has a big influence on car set-up at the Hungaroring. If it’s relatively cool, as was the case in 2006, the overriding handling characteristic of a car is understeer; if it’s hot, it is oversteer. Invariably the weather has been hot during the race’s 22-year history, so the engineers will arrive at the track this week expecting oversteer and will seek ways of protecting the rear tyres during the 70-lap race.
If the ambient temperature exceeds 30 degrees, the track’s lack of straights and low average speed could make cooling a concern. However, the high temperatures experienced during testing last week at Jerez, a track with a similar layout to the Hungaroring, provided useful cooling data ahead of the race weekend.
The middle sector of the lap from Turn 4 through to the exit of Turn 11 gives the best indication of a car’s performance. The sector begins with a couple of slow corners, but ends with a very fast right-hander, which makes it hard to find a good balance. If a car’s quick through this sector, you can expect it to be quick around the whole lap.
Full throttle: 56%
Brake wear: High
Downforce level: High – 9/10
Tyre compounds: Super Soft / Soft
Tyre usage: Medium
Average speed: 197kph (122mph)
HONDA TEAM TALK
Ross Brawn, Team Principal
Q. The team had an extensive test session at Jerez this week. Did you achieve your objectives?
“The team completed a very well executed four-day test in Jerez last week with an extensive programme of test items for the current season and looking ahead to the development of our 2009 car. In addition to running the final stage of our mid-season aerodynamic upgrade, we evaluated a new suspension system, brake and engine modifications and an evaluation of the 2009 slick tyres. The test went very well, with the full programme completed in punishingly hot conditions, therefore we are very satisfied. Our evaluation of the resulting data should have positive results for the performance of the RA108 in the forthcoming races and for the direction of the 2009 car.”
Q. What challenges does the Hungaroring present for the cars?
“The Hungaroring is a low speed and high downforce track where we will face similar challenges to Monaco, albeit with a different layout and corner speeds. We frequently see high ambient temperatures during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend which, combined with a low average speed of 197kph, can make engine and brake cooling a challenge. The supersoft Bridgestone Potenza tyre is fastest here and it is important to maintain a balance to avoid graining and overheating. The track generates grip throughout the weekend, even during the race, therefore anticipating the best set-up for the conditions is key.”
Jenson Button
Q. Do you enjoy returning to the Hungaroring after your first win there in 2006?
“The Hungarian Grand Prix will always be a special race for me as the venue of my first win in Formula One but obviously I would much prefer to be going back with the chance to challenge for the win again. The new parts which we tested in Jerez last week are a small step forward, so it will be interesting to see how this places us in the midfield pack for the race weekend.
“The Hungaroring circuit itself has a good rhythm and a nice mix of slow-speed and high-speed turns. A lap around the circuit is actually quite a challenge because there is no respite and no opportunity to relax your hands, so you are gripping the steering wheel hard the whole time. As a city, Budapest is fantastic and definitely one of the most exciting places that we visit during the Formula One season, with a great atmosphere during the Grand Prix weekend, both in the city and at the circuit.”
Rubens Barrichello
Q. What are the characteristics and challenges of the Hungaroring for the drivers?
“The Hungaroring is a pretty physical track which is twisty and bumpy with slow corners. It is very difficult to overtake so you have to start from the front to have a good race which makes having a good qualifying session on Saturday very important. The race can be incredibly hot so it is a tough challenge for the drivers. We have to be well prepared and you need that extra little bit of fitness to cope with the heat. Our test in Jerez last week was a good opportunity to acclimatise to such conditions, both for the drivers and for the car. I won at the Hungaroring in 2002 and have been on the podium a couple more times since then so I really enjoy returning to Budapest.”
LAP OF THE TRACK with Alex Wurz
“The Hungarian Grand Prix is an enjoyable race because Budapest is a beautiful city and the Hungaroring is a super-cool track. There are no proper straights on the lap and many of the corners are inter-linked, so if you make a mistake in one, you’re still paying for it three corners later.
“The track picks up quite a lot of grip as more rubber goes down, which results in you going about five seconds per lap quicker during the race than was the case during Friday morning practice. When you combine that with the heat, it becomes seriously hard work for the drivers! The change in the grip level also makes it difficult to evaluate set-up changes, but that’s part of the challenge.
“You brake for Turn 1 from 290kph and shift down to second gear. You accelerate out, pass through a kink and brake again for Turn 2, a long left-hander. It is second or third gear, depending on gear ratios, and it’s a bit bumpy on entry so you have to be careful not to lock a wheel. At the exit you need to keep hold of the car because Turn 3 is a flat-out right-hander where you need to carry as much speed as possible because it’s followed by a short straight.
“Turn 4 is a very fast fifth gear left-hander. The entry is blind and the exit is very narrow, so it’s easy to make a mistake. If you have a good rhythm, you can carry speed through here and make up a lot of time. Usually fast corners aren’t the place to make time, but you can through here because this corner punishes car-driver combinations that aren’t in tune with each other.
“I love Turn 5 because you can attack it like you would in a go-kart. You brake, you chuck the car in, you slide all four wheels and you put the power down just as you hit some quite severe bumps. This makes it really exciting and you continue the four-wheel slide to the exit. Then you come to Turns 6 and 7, a chicane. You hit the right-hand kerb, but don’t want to touch the one on the left because that unsettles the rear wheels under acceleration.
“A short straight follows before Turns 8 and 9. If your car has a good front end, you can carry an enormous amount of speed through Turn 8, which is a fourth gear left-hander. You want to keep to the left on the exit to ensure you have a good line through Turn 9, which is quite a slippery right-hander. If you lift off the throttle too fast on the approach, you have snap oversteer; if you lift too gently, you’ll get understeer. It’s a tricky corner.
“Turn 10 is a flat-out left-hand kink, before you come to Turn 11, which is a very fast right-hander. You approach it in sixth gear, change down to fifth and chuck the car in, hoping the front end sticks to the road. It’s a very cool corner. You then go down a hill and brake to second gear for a right-hander which is quite straightforward, although you want to steer clear of the exit kerb because it will slow you down.
“The penultimate corner is quite bumpy on entry and it’s easy to out-brake yourself. It’s third gear and mid-corner you floor the throttle and steer the rear end with the throttle. A short burst of acceleration follows, before turning in to the last corner. It’s very bumpy and slippery on entry, but there’s a change in the asphalt in the middle and that’s your cue to floor the throttle. You can’t see the exit at this point, but it appears soon enough and you cross the start-finish line to begin another lap.”
Credit: Honda Racing F1 Team
