Hungarian Grand Prix: All you need to know

After a doubleheader at the Red Bull Ring, F1 travels to Hungary for the third race of the 2020 season on 17-19 July.

Following the frantic opening header in Austria and the first-ever Styrian Grand Prix, F1 teams will arrive in Hungary for round three.

The Hungaroring circuit could be the opportunity for Max Verstappen and Red Bull to clinch their first win of the 2020 season. Compared to the Red Bull Ring, the circuit has 16 corners to the previous 10, which will prevent Mercedes from using their real pace down the straights.

If the race is remotely similar to 2019, then we could be in for a treat. Hamilton won the thrilling Hungarian Grand Prix last year after a late fightback against Verstappen.

Mercedes gambled on an extra pit stop to put Hamilton on fresher tyres, giving the Red Bull driver a 20-second gap. However, the British driver managed to cut the deficit in 20 laps and overtook Verstappen with just three laps to go.

We are praying for a similar style of the race this weekend in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Ferrari has clearly shown that their car is nowhere near as fast as the two teams at the top, even slower than Racing Points. However, the Italian manufacturers are known to be one of the fastest around the corners and the upgrades made to the car will hopefully see the two drivers fighting among the top in Hungary.

FACTS ?? Everything you need to know about the Hungaroring right here… ? #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/PL1Yf5dnho

— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) July 18, 2020

Hungarian Grand Prix: Team’s preview

Mercedes inserting dominance 

Mercedes have already inserted their dominance in the constructors’ championship, as Lewis Hamilton cruised to victory in the Styrian Grand Prix and the ‘Silver Arrows’ got their first one-two finish of the season. 

Red Bull are the only team to show competition so far, Max Verstappen managed to separate the two Mercedes throughout the race and would have finished second if he didn’t suffer damage. The Dutchman’s front-wing was partly damaged and admitted his car was too slow to fight, allowing Bottas to overtake on lap 66. Red Bull will be looking to close the gap between themselves and Mercedes or we are likely to see the ‘Silver Arrows’ win their seven consecutive seasons.

Mercedes cars are powerful down the straights but the Hungary circuit is known for the restless amount of corners. The track has 16, compared to the 10 over the weekend, and hopefully gives Red Bull the opportunity to close the gap.

Ferrari’s Redemption

On the other hand, Ferrari endured a disappointing opening header after Charles Leclerc crashed into Sebastian Vettel on lap one in the Styrian Grand Prix. This led to both cars having to retire early on and the young driver hard-work of finishing 2nd in the Austrian Grand Prix was quickly undone, taking full responsibility for the crash.

Many expected the Italian team to compete with Red Bull and Mercedes for the Championship but could see themselves pushed out of the top three, let alone competing. McLaren has shown real quality in the opening two races, especially Lando Norris, who finished 3rd and 5th. Compared to Racing Point, McLaren does not have the pace to match them, but it was the strategy from the team principals that have got them 3rd in the constructors championship and Norris’ podium finish.

Renault Issues

Renault grabbed the headlines in Austria last week as Fernando Alonso announced his return to the French racing company, to replace the McLaren-bound Daniel Ricciardo. 

However, it was another disappointing week in Austria as only one car managed to finish, still looked slower than the McLaren’s and Racing Point. For the second week running, Renault had to retire one car due to cooling issues and Esteban Ocon was the driver in the firing line. 

Riccardo managed to finish in the points in 8th, but Renault is already falling behind their rivals, 31 points behind McLaren. The worry ahead of this weekend is the return of the cooling issue inside the car, especially due to how hot the circuit could be this weekend at around 25C. 

Hungarian Grand Prix Timings

Friday 17th July 

Free Practice 1: 10am -11:30am

Free Practice 2: 2pm – 3:30pm 

Saturday 18th July

Free Practice 3: 10am – 11am

Qualifying: 2pm – 3pm

Sunday 

Race: 2 pm

Hungarian Grand Prix: Prediction

1st – Max Verstappen

2nd – Lewis Hamilton

3rd – Charles Leclerc

4th – Valtteri Bottas

5th – Sergio Perez

Race Preview: Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix 2020

We hope you enjoyed the article ‘Hungarian Grand Prix: Preview, Timings and Predictions.’ Who do you think will win the Hungarian Grand Prix? Let us know!

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