Friday: Eight-tenths separate the Softs and Mediums at Pirelli

As during the test sessions affected by rain in Britain and then in Germany, precipitation has once again made an appearance in Hungary today. Having brought the medium P Zero White and soft P Zero Yellow tires, Pirelli is not introducing any experimental compounds this time, and teams have their usual allocation of 11 sets of slicks (6 of the hardest compound and 5 of the softer one, usable at any time during the weekend starting this Friday). However, since the afternoon session was wet, teams have been allowed to use an additional set of intermediates. It must be returned before the final practice session tomorrow.

At ambient temperatures of 29°C at the start of Free Practice 2 and 45°C on the track, drivers took the opportunity to evaluate the performance and degradation level of the two compounds with different fuel loads. This information is vital for crafting race strategy, even more important than usual in Hungary, where overtaking is very difficult due to the narrowness of the track. On a circuit that is rarely used during the rest of the year and with new asphalt in the last sector, the surface evolved considerably throughout the day with the gradual deposition of rubber. Some clouds followed by rain affected the track temperature, which dropped at the end of the second session. Despite the changing weather, there was a lot of action on the track with all the different compounds.

All the drivers started the second free practice session on medium tires, before switching to softs. Lotus driver Romain Grosjean was the first to switch to softs, as the team didn’t want to miss the opportunity to test the compound before the predicted arrival of rain. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) was the first to switch to the Blue (rain) Cinturato, while Michael Schumacher preferred the intermediate Green Cinturato, but he had to retire after hitting a large puddle. Once the rain became lighter, all the drivers completed their session on intermediates.

Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) was the fastest on soft tires before the rain fell, followed by Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren, who took first position ahead of Kimi Räikkönen (Lotus) with the weekend’s best time of 1:21.955.

Hamilton was also the fastest in Free Practice 1 with a time of 1:22.821 on the medium P Zero White. He completed the most laps, running 30 laps in the morning. All drivers used the medium during the first session, which Jenson Button, Hamilton’s teammate, finished in second place.

Paul Hembery, Director of Pirelli Motorsport: Although we offered the same tire allocation as in Germany, the conditions were quite different, highlighting the capabilities of our tires across a wide variety of weather and track conditions. Due to the unique nature of the Hungaroring, precision driving is key to finding the rhythm in the succession of corners, and front tire grip in particular is crucial. Teams can improve corner entry by working on settings, but this can have an undesirable effect on tire wear. As usual, today was about finding the best compromise for settings in difficult conditions.

The rain fell again during the session, but it was an important opportunity to learn how the cars perform in these conditions on this track, especially with a 50% chance of rain on Sunday. Some sections of the circuit remained much wetter than others. The rain also prevented teams from completing long runs with a full load on the soft tires, which will affect their preparation strategy for the race, making it a priority for tomorrow’s final practice sessions.

We expect to see a lap time difference of about 0.8 seconds between the soft and medium tires in dry conditions, but many variables will be at play. Therefore, it will be another unpredictable race, following qualifying which should take place in dry conditions tomorrow.

Number of trains used:

– Medium: 48

– Tendre: 21

– Intermédiaire: 22

– Pluie: 6

Number of laps completed per compound:

– Medium: 30

– Tendre: 11

– Intermédiaire: 13

– Pluie: 5

Longest relay by component:

– Medium: 14 (Hamilton)

– Tendre: 11 (Senna)

– Intermédiaire: 13 (Petrov)

– Pluie: 5 (Kobayashi)

The Pirelli Fact of the Day:

Last year, the Hungarian Grand Prix was the scene of the highest number of pit stops of the season: 88 stops were made by the field, including three due to penalties (drive-through). The rain also played an important role in this scenario.

The last three teams to enter Formula 1 – Caterham, HRT, and Marussia – all have a driver who has achieved a podium finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix: Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham) won the race in 2008. Pedro de la Rosa (HRT) finished second in 2006, while Timo Glock (Marussia) secured second place in 2008.

[From the press release published by Pirelli Motorsport]