The Hungaroring circuit is ready to host the last round of the World Championship before the summer break, the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest. The track is well known for its tortuosity, generated by not very slow corners but with few straights and a narrow track. The circuit, in fact, is characterized by a low average speed which makes it difficult to cool the power units and brakes.
Just over 4 km long, the track is very similar to that of Monte Carlo: its twisted nature makes overtaking difficult, if not in the first corners of the first sector, so starting from the front becomes of fundamental importance in Hungary. If we add to this that a high aerodynamic load is required, the similarity with the Monegasque track becomes clear: the pit stop strategies will therefore be studied in order to have a better chance of overtaking, as well as the management of any Safety Cars.
Given its winding nature, it is no wonder that lateral stress must be controlled for tire management, as the MegaRide technicians suggest, thanks to the graph below provided by Motorsport Italy, obtained through their thermal model.
The management of the front left will be very critical, which is the one where the most energy is generated according to the simulations, especially in turn 14, the last one before the finish line. For the rest of the lap, there are several braking and acceleration sections that generate a significant amount of energy: traction will also be important during the weekend.
The most demanding braking, the subject of focus of the MegaRide technicians, is that of Turn 1, with a deceleration of more than 200 km / h. At this corner, there is a 35% thermal increase on the front tires. The other braking sections are much less demanding but they are frequent, with not many sections where the tires can cool down, if not briefly on the main straight.
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High temperatures are usually expected and these conditions, in addition to influencing the performance of the cars and tires, will also be crucial for the drivers who will struggle a lot during the Hungarian Grand Prix.
In recent seasons, however, there have been many races in the rain, which has caused a lot of action in a usually “boring” Grand Prix. The asphalt that is not very abrasive should not generate much wear, but the degradation can certainly be significant if the temperatures are high, considering that for most of the lap the effect of convection with air is lacking, or at least it is not very relevant, given the absence of many straight sections.
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