Race diary: issues we realized from Thursday on the Hungaroring

The ultimate piece of the jigsaw is being put in place on the Hungaroring earlier than the motion ramps up with observe day on the Hungaroring Grand Prix. F1Technical’s senior author Balázs Szabó experiences from the busy Hungaroring paddock.

Following every week off after the British Grand Prix, Method One is approaching the ultimate leg of races forward of the summer season shutdown. After having visited a number of Grands Prix thus far this yr, the Hungarian Grand Prix is on my agenda this weekend. I arrived on the sunny and sizzling Hungaroring at round 2.p.m. The very first thing is all the time to hurry to the reception desk to verify in and discover a spot within the media centre.

The Hungaroring attracts followers from throughout Europe. It was not totally different in the present day as I walked right down to the pit lane and located it stuffed with worldwide followers. Pit lane walks have been a favorite amongst followers in Hungary and organizers have determined to pack it into this yr’s schedule once more.

Nevertheless, it was not open to each ticker holder, however just for these with a weekend admission who bought a particular ticket. Followers have been in a position to watch the Excessive Velocity Monitor Check of the FIA Security and Medical Vehicles from the Tremendous Gold Grandstand earlier than strolling by the pit lane.

There’s an thrilling new group within the Hungaroring F1 paddock. Following the filming of the F1-inspired Brad Pitt’s film, manufacturing of Apple’s F1 movie will proceed at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, regardless of the affect of a Hollywood actors’ strike. Simply as two weeks in the past in Silverstone, the storage of the fictional Apex group that Pitt drives for within the film has been arrange within the Hungaroring’s pit lane.

After dashing down the pit lane and taking a look at numerous aerodynamic panels of the F1 vehicles, I made a decision to go for a monitor stroll. Whereas it was nonetheless highly regarded on the market, a number of drivers additionally opted to hit the monitor following their media actions. I walked at a sluggish tempo, stopping at numerous factors of the circuit and analysing Hungaroring’s comparatively excessive, extensive and aggressive kerbs.

Through the sluggish stroll, I used to be handed by Valtteri Bottas 4 instances because the Finn was seemingly desirous to circle across the monitor on a bicycle a number of instances, doing it on his personal. Charles Leclerc handed me proper after the chicane, in between Turns 7 and eight as he accomplished his monitor inspection on a bicycle with the attendance of Ferrari’s driver coach Jock Clear. Aston Martin racer Fernando Alonso, who took his first F1 victory on the Hungaroring again in 2003, was conducting a filming session with F2 drivers once we crossed one another’s method on the quick, flowing Flip 11.

Returning to the pit lane, Hungaroring’s marshals have been conducting an FIA’s necessary extraction take a look at with the governing physique supervising the process and measuring the time required to get the motive force out and stabilize him.

Incidents the place a driver suffered long run damage as a result of insufficient medical consideration have been all too frequent within the Nineteen Seventies and Eighties. That’s the reason the FIA takes it very severely and requires tracks to have marshals who can carry the very important extraction process out to the very best requirements.

Whereas followers are keen to fulfill their favorite drivers, they normally keep away from pit lane stroll as they consider their media actions and briefing with their engineers, Alpine driver Esteban Ocon headed out in entrance of his group’s storage and was keen to fulfill his followers. George Russell additionally popped up within the Mercedes storage whereas his group performed pit cease practices, and waved in direction of the guests.

In direction of the pit lane go to, I heard folks shout Lewis Hamilton’s identify. The eight-time Hungarian Grand Prix winner walked right down to the Mercedes storage for a particular capturing. This weekend sees F1 produce the first-ever broadcast particularly designed for kids. Filmed by SkySports F1, the Briton defined numerous elements of his Mercedes W14 F1 automotive to a younger boy with the clip set to be broadcast throughout the weekend.

Though the pit lane stroll ended throughout Hamilton’s filming, followers have been reluctant to depart the world as they have been keen to fulfill the Briton. Within the meantime, because the pit lane was slowly getting empty, paint job was carried out beneath the rostrum space. It additionally reveals how a lot work is required to arrange a monitor for an F1 race weekend even when it’s a everlasting race circuit.

This additionally explains why it was not doable to maneuver the cancelled Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to Ferrari’s Mugello circuit regardless of the want of many followers.

Curiously, at round 8.p.m the media heart, the pit lane and the paddock have been all fairly empty which isn’t all the time the case on the opening day of a grand prix weekend. Whereas the climate might maintain surprises for Friday’s periods, one factor is bound: the monitor, drivers and groups are able to get the motion underway.