Tyres strategy will play a vital role in the Hungarian Grand Prix
By Alex Kapadia
Following rain-affected free practice sessions in Britain and Germany, there was rain on Friday afternoon in Hungary as well, where the P Zero White medium and P Zero Yellow soft tyres have been nominated this weekend.
With ambient temperatures of 29 degrees centigrade at the start of free practice two and 45 degrees of track temperature, the drivers took the opportunity to assess the performance and degradation levels on both tyres, using a variety of fuel loads.
This information is vital when it comes to formulating race strategy, which will be even more crucial than usual in Hungary, as it is very difficult to overtake on the tight and narrow track.
With the circuit not used extensively during the year, and some new asphalt in the final sector, the surface evolved considerably over the course of the day as more rubber was laid down.
Intermittent cloud cover and rain also affected track temperatures, which dropped towards the end of the second session. Despite the variable weather conditions, there was plenty of on-track action using all the different compounds.
Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s motorsport director, said: “Although we had the same tyre nomination as Germany, the conditions were quite different – underlining the capabilities of our tyres in a wide range of weather and track conditions.
“The unique layout of the Hungaroring means that driving precision is key to hooking up the flowing sequence of corners, and obviously the grip from the front tyres in particular is crucial.
“Teams can improve turn-in by working on the set-up, but this can have a detrimental effect on tyre wear so as usual today’s running was about finding the best compromise set-up, under challenging circumstances.
“Once again we saw some rain during the session, but with a 50% chance of more rain on Sunday this was a valuable opportunity to learn not only about the car in these conditions but also the circuit, with some parts of the track remaining much wetter than others.
“The rain also meant that teams did not get the opportunity to complete long runs on full fuel with the soft tyre, which will affect their strategic preparations for the race and now becomes a priority for the final free practice session tomorrow.
“We’re expecting a difference of about 0.8s per lap between the soft and the medium tyres in dry conditions but with so many variables we seem set for another unpredictable race, following what should be a dry qualifying session tomorrow.”
Number: Z8037079
Reg: NKF419
