Mercedes has half a second to make up in Hungary
The Mercedes AMG team estimates its gap to the best teams to be half a second per lap, and even if they hope to reduce part of this gap this weekend in Hungary, they know it won't be that simple. So much so that Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg are hesitant to comment on the competitiveness of their car, even though they are feeling quite confident.
After some good results, including a victory in China for Rosberg and a podium in Valencia for Michael Schumacher, the last races for the Mercedes team have not gone as well as Ross Brawn, the director of the Mercedes AMG team, confides: « This last race before the summer break concludes an intense period for the team, after our two home races at Silverstone and in Germany. After a peak in performance and podiums in China, Monaco, and Valencia, this past month has been more complicated, and we have not achieved the results we hoped for. »
Norbert Haug, the head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, believes that the Silver Arrows are half a second per lap behind the best: « The last two races have shown that we were half a second behind the best. Everyone in the team is aware of it and we will do our utmost to continue developing the car and close the gap. »
The goal will be to make up for this delay, but according to Ross Brawn, it will be challenging to find significant improvements in such a short time: « There is little work possible when two races are held a week apart but we will work hard to find the necessary improvements. »
The Hungarian Grand Prix marks the start of the second half of the season, and Michael Schumacher believes it’s time to reflect on the first part of the season, which he finds interesting despite a lack of results: « This race in Hungary is the last one before the summer break and marks the beginning of the second half of the season – which means it’s time to analyze things. As often in life, it’s, in my opinion, a matter of perspective: if we only look at the points in the championship, it doesn’t seem that good; but if you look a little deeper, and at certain results in particular, then the overall picture is much better. We have taken a step forward and have already had some great performances. »
The seven-time world champion is eager to race on the Hungaroring circuit, as it’s a track he enjoys.
« I am looking forward to this race weekend because I love the Hungarian Grand Prix. It’s a circuit where drivers are busy throughout the lap, it’s really demanding and there’s hardly a moment to catch your breath. We’ll see what we can do there before the team heads off for a well-deserved break. »
Nico Rosberg is also eager to return to the Hungarian circuit. But Keke’s son does not dare to make any predictions, even though he hopes to be competitive at the wheel of his F1 W03: The Hungaroring is a very demanding circuit and it’s clearly a layout that I enjoy. It’s a bit like a city circuit but on a regular track because there are tight, winding corners and few straights. The layout should suit our car, but you can’t make predictions this year and you never know how things will unfold throughout the weekend.
Rosberg also believes that one of the key points of this weekend should be tire wear, as the tires could indeed suffer from the persistent heat in Hungary at this time of year: « Tire wear should be a critical point for the race, so we will have to work hard to manage it properly. It would be nice if we could take a step forward and have a good weekend before the summer break. »
