Focus on ... remembering Jules Bianchi
Formula One arrives in Hungary after an intensely difficult week. F1 personnel will be in the paddock on Thursday, but many of their thoughts will still be with Jules Bianchi's family following the 25-year-old's funeral on Tuesday. Drivers are likely to carry their own tributes to Bianchi in Hungary, but will also come together ahead of Sunday's race to pay their respects with a minute's silence. Moving tributes have been made ahead of the weekend and it is clear that many within the sport felt Bianchi would have gone on to achieve great things had his accident not cut his life so tragically short. Yet Formula One - as it has always done in such circumstances - will race on and race hard this weekend; those closest to Bianchi have made it clear that is exactly what he would have wanted.
In need of a podium
Kimi Raikkonen's season is slipping away from him and at the British Grand Prix he dropped to fifth in the drivers' championship. Although that may not seem relevant with Mercedes' drivers the only pair in contention for the title, he fell behind Valtteri Bottas, who has been hotly tipped as the man to replace him. From the outside Raikkonen does not appear to be too worried about the situation - as he made clear in a recent interview with ESPN - but there are suggestions that his recent dip in form is related to the pressure mounting around him. A podium this weekend would give Ferrari some serious thinking to do ahead of the end of the month when the Italian press claim a decision will be made (internally if not publicly) on his future. It won't please Raikkonen to hear it, but he may well be racing for his future in Hungary this weekend.
In need of points
At the start of the year Toro Rosso was targeting fifth in the constructors' championship, but at the midway point the junior Red Bull team is languishing in eighth. The car is fundamentally sound and appears to be well planted in corners, but its two rookie drivers have not capitalised on its speed as often as they should have. The tight and twisty Hungaroring should mask the power deficit that the Renault engine still has to its rivals, but any grid penalties for using new components will prove very costly on a track that is hard to overtake on. In theory it should be a great opportunity for Toro Rosso to start to close the 20-point gap to Force India in fifth position, but the team needs to start turning its potential into points if it is to move up the standings in the second half of the season.
ESPN prediction
Last year's Hungarian Grand Prix was arguably the best race of the season, spiced up by rain ahead of the start and Lewis Hamilton fighting through from the back of the grid. At times the Hungaroring can offer dull racing, and the same is likely to be true if the two Mercedes line up one-two on a dry grid. In such circumstances, Lewis Hamilton is ESPN's pick due to his natural talent at tight, technical circuits.
Betting
Lewis Hamilton is favourite for victory at 4/9 ahead of Nico Rosberg at 9/4. Last year's winner Daniel Ricciardo has odds of 200/1 for a repeat victory, while Sebastian Vettel is the closest outsider to the Mercedes duo at 12/1. Perhaps Ricciardo at 22/1 to be on the podium is a better bet or maybe two-time Hungarian Grand Prix winner Jenson Button at 25/1 to finish in the top six on a circuit where Honda is hoping to operate its ERS at full potential.
Weather
Sunny weather is expected on all three days of the Hungarian Grand Prix, although it is forecast to be significantly hotter on Friday and Saturday. Temperatures of 36C are expected for practice and qualifying before a dip of eight degrees ahead of race day. If that is the case, the teams could find that Friday's tyre data is of little use for Sunday, making the optimum strategy harder to predict.
Tyre talk
Prime: Medium
Option: Soft
Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director, says: "We go from Silverstone - one of the fastest and most flowing circuits on the F1 calendar - to the Hungaroring, which is among the slower circuits with a seemingly non-stop series of technical corners. It's a real challenge for the driver, car, and tyres as they are always working hard: apart from the pit straight, there is no real point on the circuit where there is any respite. One of the biggest challenges is the weather: it can be extremely hot in Budapest in July, and obviously this has a significant effect on thermal degradation. In order to find the right balance between performance and durability, we've selected the medium and soft tyres, which is the same nomination as last year. This selection is soft enough to provide the mechanical grip needed to negotiate all the corners, yet hard enough to withstand the punishing weather conditions and track layout of the Hungaroring. This is not always the easiest circuit to overtake on, so tyre strategy can make a real difference."
Renault Sport F1
Renault Sport details the stresses and strains the Hungaroring circuit places on the main components of the power unit.
ICE: The Hungaroring is not considered a power sensitive track since one lap is taken at just 45% full throttle. The average speed is just over 180kph during qualifying, with each corner taken from second to fourth gear. The ICE is given a relatively easy ride in Budapest. The only opportunities of sustained full throttle are the 790m pit straight and the 500m straight between Turns 3 and 4.
Turbocharger: Of all the races in the first part of the season, this is the one where the turbo will be the most highly solicited. The driver is constantly on and off the power and having a turbo that can kick in instantly with accurate power will greatly reduce lap time by improving driveability. Sector two is critical for turbo response since the corners are mid to low speed, with rapid braking events. Delivering power when needed is important to overall lap time reduction. The entry and exit into and from Turn 11 at the end of Sector Two is particularly important as there is a short straight before the final complex of the track.
MGU-K: The heavy braking zones will provide the K with the opportunity to recover energy. The first corner is the first chance as the cars go from over 300kph to just under 85kph. Turns 6 and 7 (the chicane) feature another heavy braking zone that gives further opportunity. The drivers will brake down to 100kph for this sharp change of direction. Other large stops are spread throughout the lap, including Turns 8, 9, 11 and 12. These right-angled turns are very similar in characteristics, with the driver braking to just over 130kph.
MGU-H: The MGU-H is really put through its paces in Budapest, possibly more than at any other circuit so far this year since the small bursts of power between the corners are intense. The section from Turns 4 to 11 is the twistiest part of the track and drivers will be at partial throttle for 65% of this extended complex. Cars negotiate principally third gear corners with an average of 150kph. This goes to show that a high proportion of the lap is spent cornering at mainly medium speeds. The MGU-H has to recover energy where it can as the straights are few and far between but it must ensure good boost control for driveability. This means that the MGU-H is highly solicited for control purposes.