27/07/2021
NEWS STORY
Lance: "We showed a lot of determination and fight as we converted a challenging Silverstone into points, and we will be bringing that momentum forward with us to Hungary. The Hungaroring is a unique track with few overtaking opportunities, so this puts increased importance on our qualifying, and a clinical tyre strategy on Sunday is mission-critical."
Sebastian: "I think we're making progress with the AMR21, although it was a shame not to be able to get the strong points we looked set for at Silverstone. We're close to a well-earned summer break, but we need to keep pushing until the very last lap in Hungary before we get some downtime. Overtaking is hard in Hungary, so a good strategy and one-lap pace will be important this weekend."
Keys to the Race
Strategy is crucial in Hungary, and track position is king. A sub-optimal strategy can be mitigated if a driver has that all-important track position. Still, an average pit time loss of 22 seconds makes both a one- and two-stop strategy viable, and there can be a big advantage to fresh tyres after a second stop. There have only been four Safety Cars in the last 10 races, and no VSCs since 2018, so they can't be relied on in strategy calls.
The first lap is important in any Grand Prix, but it's make-or-break in Hungary. The hairpin at Turn One is wide and follows a heavy braking zone, offering plenty of opportunity to gain ground on a rival. There have been more than 15 position changes on the first lap in the last three Hungarian Grands Prix.
Overtaking at the Hungaroring is difficult, but DRS is especially powerful because there is only one detection zone, right before Turn 14. A driver within range will gain the benefit down the main straight, but also through the exit of Turn One and into Turn Two. Expect this to have a decisive impact on overtaking.