The 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix is scheduled to take place this weekend, as the race held at the Hungaroring circuit, located in Mogyorod, near Budapest, will be the last Formula One race before the summer break. Scuderia Ferrari Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen previews the eleventh round of the Formula One world championship, after finishing on the podium two weeks ago, at Silverstone:
“It is always nice to come here in Hungary. The circuit is not the most difficult but it is a really challenging venue because there is little room for mistakes and it is usually very hot. It’s a slow, twisty circuit so two things are really important here, good turn-in and good traction. If you have those, you have a strong car and we were strong at Monaco, a track that also has many corners and short straights, so things should go better here, but of coure we have to wait and see.” – the Scuderia Ferrari driver said, as reported by the Italian media.
Hungaroring is a circuit where Kimi has always had an impressive performance, like last season, when the Finn was voted Driver of the Day for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Raikkonen finished the Hungaroring race in sixth position after having to charge through the field, having qualified down in 14th on Saturday due to the unpredictable weather conditions. In addition to this, Kimi was forced to complete the final part of the race with a damaged front wing after making contact with Max Verstappen as they battled for position: “Last year we had a poor qualifying, which of course made things very difficult in the race. I’ve finished second in Hungary many times, so I know how important it is to be in front after the first corner. DRS or not, it’s never easy to overtake at the Hungaroring. To get the weekend right, you have to have good sessions in FP1, FP2 and FP3, then a strong qualifying session and finally a perfect start.” – Kimi Raikkonen explained.
Many times this race has been called the Grand Prix of Finland, as traditionally the Hungarian Grand Prix has seen a large influx of Finnish fans and Kimi hopes the situation will stay the same this year: “A lot of Finns go to this race every year and it is always nice to see the blue and white flags waving. The support is always great here.” – the Scuderia Ferrari driver concluded, ahead of the 2017 Hungarian GP.
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