20/07/2013
NEWS STORY
It's been a busy week for the Marussia F1 Team with a foot in two camps, both of which could be considered 'home turf' for the Anglo-Russian team - Silverstone for the Young Driver Test and Russia, where preparations are underway for this weekend's Moscow City Racing event. The week is only set to get busier as the Team pack down at the test this evening ready to send the race trucks on the long journey to Budapest for Round 10 of the 2013 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the Formula 1 Magyar Nagydij.
The venue for the Hungarian Grand Prix is the Hungaroring, located just outside the lively and seriously stylish capital city of Budapest. The 4.381km circuit features 14 corners - 8 right-handers, 6 left - is the slowest permanent circuit on the calendar and is often compared to Monaco because of its tight and twisty configuration.
Round 10 is the final race before the sport takes its annual summer break to re-energise for the predominantly long-haul second half of the season.
Jules Bianchi: "Spending Friday afternoon in the car at Silverstone highlighted how much I've missed the racing since Germany, so I'm looking forward to Hungary before we have the long summer break. The first part of the season has passed by so quickly and I think it is important that we have a stronger weekend in Budapest, so everyone stays focused on what we need to do during the second half. Everyone deserves a good long rest as a reward for the all the hard work, but then we have to continue pushing hard to ensure we achieve our objectives for the season. The Hungaroring is a circuit I enjoy, having raced there several times before in GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5. It is usually extremely hot and because the track is quite demanding to drive, it is not such an easy weekend. There is no let-up across the whole lap so it requires a lot of focus, but that is why it is quite an interesting race because it demands everything you have as a driver. Let's hope for a positive weekend for the Team with a strong two-car finish."
Max Chilton: "Hungary holds many special memories for me as the track where I achieved my first race win in GP2 last season, so I'm really excited to be heading back there. I love everything about Budapest - the track, the weather, the people and the city. It is always hot and sunny at the Hungaroring and it's just a circuit I really enjoy which seems to suit me. As ever, the objective is to have the best build-up possible then raise our game a little in qualifying before hopefully enjoying a good race to finish ahead of our immediate competitors. It would be nice to send the Team off for the summer break with a positive result in hand."
John Booth, Team Principal: "We've had a constructive test at Silverstone this week, providing our young drivers with valuable experience and our race drivers with the opportunity to test the 2013 compound-2012 construction tyres. We've been extremely fortunate with the weather and judging by the forecast for next week in Budapest we can look forward to more of the same, although temperatures in the mid-thirties can feel very warm indeed in the midst of a busy race weekend, particularly in the cockpit. The Hungaroring will be a very demanding circuit for our drivers, although their fitness for any circuit is never in question; we're very fortunate to have two guys who take their physical preparation very seriously. This is a track that demands their full attention throughout the lap and with little or no respite. They both seem to enjoy it there and their simulator preparation has gone well, so now we hope to have a strong weekend with everything coming together for us to get both cars home and ahead of our direct competitors."