31/07/2011
NEWS STORY
Throwing the window shades open this morning revealed a drab, grey sky as we head into race day in Hungary.
Rain was expected overnight, and duly arrived, however it appears to have missed the last bus home and decided to hang around to see what all the fuss is about.
While the rain itself isn't heavy it is a constant drizzle, the sort that soaks British comedians through. The track is damp and will, at this stage, necessitate intermediate tyres. There's no standing water and a handful of support categories will make it interesting to see if a dry line emerges. It seems unlikely though as the weather looks pretty determined to - sorry - rain on the parade.
The temperature too is much lower than the previous three days at just 15 degrees. The track is cooler too at just 13, setting the scene nicely for McLaren, who seem to prefer the cooler conditions. Jenson Button mentioned on Thursday that he wouldn't mind a little drizzle to spice things up, it was in these sorts of conditions he won his debut race here in 2006 after all, and with his 200th start a little later today the conditions are seemingly in his favour.
It also ruins Sebastien Buemi's strategy of bolting out of the gates on soft rubber while those around him struggle on the harder compound. Ferrari too won't be impressed, the escalating temperatures across the weekend had been playing in to their hands.
At this stage, still some hours before the Formula One cars hit the track, it seems we can expect a wet, cold race. A stiff head wind down the front straight will give greater importance to the DRS, while the tricky conditions should negate the dust off line, making overtaking easier.
In the GP3 race several of the adventurous youngsters managed a quick pirouette on their way to the grid, emphasising how difficult conditions are. With no wet running thus far this weekend the race will give some insight in to the conditions we can expect come 14:00.