On your mark get set go: Can Red Bull win the Grand Prix Hungary

The notional midpoint of the 21-race 2016 season, this weekend’s Grand Prix in Hungary has all the ingredients of a humdinger, with Red Bull going all out to beat Mercedes in a straight fight, the Silver Arrows believing they need a “flawless” weekend if they are to take victory, Ferrari on their back foot and desperate to win as they did last year, and the chance of the weather playing a key role if predicted showers fall in the race.



Best Time to Win Hungary : Red Bull
Daniel Ricciardo is adamant that he doesn’t believe in luck, but Budapest is Red Bull’s best chance since Monaco of beating Mercedes and the Australian is ready to go all-out to be the one to snatch the honours after weeks of being upstaged by upstart new team mate Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman won on his debut with the team in Spain, and though he crashed three times in Monaco he bounced back to become the team’s more successful driver in recent races.

Ricciardo, meanwhile, has struggled to match his partner’s pace and was out-qualified by him for the first time at Silverstone before losing crucial time in the race under the early Virtual Safety Car following Pascal Wehrlein’s departure. He finished only fourth, as Verstappen took second behind Lewis Hamilton after Nico Rosberg’s penalty dropped him a place.

“I would say things haven’t really gone in my favour of late,” Ricciardo says,” but I don’t believe in luck. Hopefully, coming to Budapest we can have a better one.”

After their strong performance on a super-quick track such as Silverstone, Red Bull firmly believe they have turned a corner, and expect to be very fast on a maximum-downforce track this weekend, which should suit the RB12 down to the ground. Ricciardo would like nothing better than to repeat his triumph here two years ago, and get the win that eluded him through no fault of his own in Monaco.

"Daniel is dealing with it very well," team boss Christian Horner says of the Australian’s recent ill fortune. "He's going to have a couple of Sundays come up where everything will fall his way, I'm sure. It's swings and roundabouts. He’s a class driver, and has demonstrated already this year that he is at the top of his game.”


Horner also stresses that confidence within the team is growing, because everyone can see that the RB12 is improving. A win here would be another huge boost.



Mercedes need a “flawless” weekend

Underscoring Red Bull’s confidence ahead of this race, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says that the Silver Arrows need a perfect weekend in order to win at the Hungaroring, something they have failed to do thus far in the turbo-hybrid formula, though Lewis Hamilton did take the 2013 race.

“This circuit has not been kind to us over the past two years and it plays to the strengths of our rivals,” Wolff says. “The Red Bull, for example, is a car that functions well where high drag isn't penalised as much as at other types of circuit. So, in wet conditions and at low-speed circuits such as the Hungaroring, they are a major threat. We will need to be flawless to come out on top at this track.”

Hamilton, however, says he is still buzzing after winning on his home turf, “and looking forward to carrying those positive vibes into the next race weekend. Ever since the low of Barcelona I've been able to cultivate this really strong mental attitude and I'm really feeling that fire inside me right now.

“Of course, I have good days and bad days, like everyone else. But whatever the case, I'm able to turn negatives into positives when it counts. I'm feeling fresh, feeling powerful and feeling confident heading to Hungary. It's a track that for some reason has always suited my style and I have incredible support there, so I can't wait to get to out on track. The past couple of years I haven't had the smoothest weekends in Budapest, of course. But I know I've got the pace, so I'm gunning to turn that around this time.”

Nico Rosberg, now just a point ahead of his team mate where once he had a 43-point advantage, says after his Silverstone penalty: “It was disappointing to lose a hard-fought and deserved second position in such a way - but we have accepted the decision and now I have to look forward with positivity. I am leading the world championship coming up to the halfway point of the season and there's still a long way to go. The battle is on with Lewis and I'm feeling great in myself and great in the car, so bring it on!”


It's worth noting, by the way, that the Hungarian Grand Prix is the only race Mercedes haven't won in the turbo-hybrid era.

It's an old school track: narrow and very twisty : Nico Hulkenberg (Hungary preview quotes)

Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)

"Getting back in the points in Silverstone was a good result, although I think I could have scored even more points had some circumstances like the VSC played out differently. However, the car performed well and we beat some fast cars on merit, which is very encouraging for Hungary and the rest of the season.

"The race in Budapest is generally pretty cool. I am a big fan of this city: it's beautiful, with lots of historic buildings and there's a good vibe around town. There are many fans who somehow manage to find out where you're staying and they'll be waiting at the hotel every morning and evening. It's pretty good fun.

"The Hungaroring is not somewhere I raced a lot in my junior formulas. Outside of F1, I only raced there in GP2 in 2009 – I won the feature race and it was a pretty good weekend for me. It's an old school track: narrow and very twisty. There is no chance to relax or lose concentration as all the corners come one after the other and you risk losing momentum with any mistake. It's a challenging track to get right and it usually produces some fun races."

Hungary is tough for the Mercedes...

Mercedes will need to be at the top of their game to beat Red Bull this weekend in Hungary, according to their head of motorsport Toto Wolff.


This circuit has not been kind to us over the past two years and it plays to the strengths of our rivals
Toto Wolff
The Hungaroring is the only current venue that Mercedes have not won at since the turbo-hybrid era came into effect for the 2014 season, and Wolff says they face an uphill battle to end that streak on Sunday - particularly given how well the circuit suits Red Bull's strengths.

Daniel Ricciardo claimed his first Grand Prix triumph with Red Bull at the Hungaroring in 2014, while last year Ferrari and Red Bull filled the podium as Sebastian Vettel led home Daniil Kvyat and Ricciardo.

"This circuit has not been kind to us over the past two years and it plays to the strengths of our rivals," Wolff commented.

"The Red Bull, for example, is a car that functions well where high drag isn't penalised as much as at other types of circuit. So, in wet conditions and at low-speed circuits such as the Hungaroring, they are a major threat.

"We will need to be flawless to come out on top at this track."

Wolff said Mercedes also face a complicated balancing act in the championship, as they attempt to weigh their 2016 priorities against the need to switch focus to 2017 - a transition other teams have already made.

"We are also now entering a time where things are complicated even more by some big decisions to be made," Wolff said. "Every week we must analyse how much resource we move across to the 2017 project - but that's a tricky balance.

"Some teams will have stopped 2016 development very early - as early as February maybe, once the current cars hit the circuit. That does give them an advantage, as the learning curve is very steep at the beginning.

"If you are a few weeks behind you can find yourselves much further back in the end."

Mercedes go into the Hungary weekend with a commanding 131 point lead over Ferrari in the 2016 constructors' standings, while at the head of the drivers' table just a single point separates Silver Arrows pilots Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.