09/08/2004
NEWS STORY
Jarno, the R24 is very strong in high-downforce configuration: can you repeat your Monaco success in Hungary?
Jarno Trulli: I certainly hope we can perform as well as we did in Monaco! I was unlucky in Germany to be slowed by a very unusual problem, but I was very quick during the first part of the race and I am happy with our competitiveness. Although there has been a testing ban over the past weeks, we will have a new engine spec in Hungary, new aero parts and the track suits our car. We are confident of being very competitive.
The Hungaroring is very dusty off line: how important is precision over a full race distance?
JT: As usual, you have to keep pushing until the very end of the race, and maintain your concentration all the way through. In Hungary, there is also the problem of the circuit being very dirty off line - if you run wide you will lose positions because it takes a long time to clean the tyres off. So, you can't afford any mistakes.
What are the main characteristics of the circuit from the driver's point of view?
JT: It is quite a fun circuit to drive, with so many corners, but it is not comfortable: the track surface is very bumpy. We have to set the car up to give a lot of mechanical grip in the slower corners, but also run quite soft to make the car driveable over the bumps. Also the circuit changes a lot as the dust blows around, so it can be quite tricky to get the car handling well and going quickly.
Fernando, you are returning to the scene of your first Grand Prix win. How does it feel?
Fernando Alonso: It is going to be a special race for me I think. This was always one of my favourite circuits anyway, and it is a nice feeling to look back and remember last year. I am feeling confident: we were fast in Hungary in 2003, we have been fast with maximum downforce already this season in Monaco, so I hope we can have a good race, and maybe be in with a chance to win.
This is a circuit where overtaking is very difficult: what makes it fun to drive?
FA: It is the style of the corners. They are quite slow, but very difficult to get right for the entire lap: you need a very precise style. Also, there are series of four or five corners where if you get one line wrong, it affects all the next corners too, so you cannot make any small mistakes. Plus it is high grip on the racing line, and very low grip and dusty off it. You can attack in some parts of the circuit, and need to be more cautious in others. The demands make it a big test for a driver.
When working on set-up, what do you concentrate on?
FA: Mechanical grip is the area we look at a lot. The downforce is at maximum, and the engine needs good torque but maximum power is not so important. So what we really need to look at is mechanical grip through the slow corners and also good traction out of them. The other thing we need to work hard on is the tyres: you have to look after them more in Hungary than at Monaco. But I am confident we will bring good tyres, and am happy with the choice that we have made.