Mercedes Hungarian Grand Prix - Preview
The 2016 Formula One World Championship season continues this weekend with Round 11, the Hungarian Grand Prix, from Budapest
Lewis: "I'm really feeling that fire inside me right now"Nico: "I'm feeling great in myself and great in the car, so bring it on"Toto: "The hard work is only just beginning"Paddy: "The Hungaroring is tough on both cars and drivers"Featured this Week: Introducing the Pure Pit WallVital Statistics: Budapest
Lewis Hamilton It's a wonderful feeling, winning in front of your home crowd. I'm still buzzing from it now and looking forward to carrying those positive vibes into the next race weekend. Ever since the low of Barcelona I've been able to cultivate this really strong mental attitude and I'm really feeling that fire inside me right now. Of course, I have good days and bad days like everyone else. But whatever the case, I'm able to turn negatives into positives when it counts. I'm feeling fresh, feeling powerful and feeling confident heading to Hungary. It's a track that for some reason has always suited my style and I have incredible support there, so I can't wait to get to out on track. The past couple of years I haven't had the smoothest weekends in Budapest, of course. But I know I've got the pace, so I'm gunning to turn that around this time. Nico Rosberg Silverstone was a good weekend except for the loss of position following the Stewards' decision after the race. It was disappointing to lose a hard-fought and deserved second position in such a way - but we have accepted the decision and now I have to look forward with positivity. I am leading the World Championship coming up to the halfway point of the season and there's still a long way to go. The battle is on with Lewis and I'm feeling great in myself and great in the car, so bring it on! I can't wait for the next battle between us in Budapest. It's a tough circuit that really tests you as a driver and a challenge I really enjoy, so I'm looking forward to an exciting and hopefully successful weekend! Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport It was a special day, bringing home a 1-2 finish in front of our friends and colleagues from Brackley and Brixworth. Now, we face a very different challenge in Budapest. This circuit has not been kind to us over the past two years and it plays to the strengths of our rivals. The Red Bull, for example, is a car that functions well where high drag isn't penalised as much as at other types of circuit. So, in wet conditions and at low-speed circuits such as the Hungaroring, they are a major threat. We will need to be flawless to come out on top at this track. We are also now entering a time where things are complicated even more by some big decisions to be made. Every week we must analyse how much resource we move across to the 2017 project - but that's a tricky balance. Some teams will have stopped 2016 development very early - as early as February maybe, once the current cars hit the circuit. That does give them an advantage, as the learning curve is very steep at the beginning. If you are a few weeks behind you can find yourselves much further back in the end. We may be halfway through the battle for this year - but the hard work is only just beginning. Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical) Since the Formula One summer shutdown was introduced in 2009, Hungary has traditionally been the last race before the break. With Germany now filling that slot, it feels strange to be going to Budapest without preparing for a well-earned rest afterwards! It's the only race we haven't won in the V6 Hybrid Formula One era and the Hungaroring is a tough venue to crack, with only 13 of the 30 Grands Prix to be held at this circuit having been won by the pole sitter - despite it being one of the toughest tracks on the calendar for overtaking. It's tough on both cars and drivers, with ambient temperatures often reaching well into the 30s Celsius. The layout is low-speed, so we will run as much downforce as possible - similar to Monaco. With the SuperSoft compound available - a tyre one step softer than the softest compound allocated last year - we expect to see some very quick qualifying times. Budapest itself is one of the most beautiful cities we go to with a fantastic racetrack to boot. It's great for the spectators, as it has a natural amphitheatre layout allowing good views over large sections of the circuit from the stands. We have enthusiastic fans coming from across Europe for this race, so it's one we always enjoy. We'll do our best to put on a good show - hopefully without the chaos of last year, however!
Featured This Week: Introducing the Pure Pit Wall
On Sunday of the British Grand Prix, our partners at Pure Storage unveiled the Pure Pit Wall - an insights dashboard providing fans and media alike with elevated levels of in-race insight from the heart of the team. Built on Pure's industry-leading FlashArray technology, the Pure Pit Wall puts users right alongside the Silver Arrows race engineers at the track - breaking down the status of the top ten drivers, as well as the strategy decisions made by the team throughout the course of each Grand Prix. Users can track the action and make their own strategic hypotheses based on factors such as tyre compound choice and wear levels, pit lane times, fastest laps, Safety Car interventions and more. Pure are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to engage customers that go beyond traditional marketing activations and showcase their technology in action. Now, the storage arrays that follow the Silver Arrows to racetracks around the word are complimented by the new Pure Pit Wall - providing users with unique and involved ways to engage with the team during the height of the action. "Data and IT are becoming increasingly important concerns in the world of professional sport, while fan engagement via multiple screens has become the norm," says Paddy Lowe. "Our partnership with Pure simplifies our IT infrastructure and has delivered significant performance upgrades - and the Pure Pit Wall dashboard helps extend those benefits directly to our fans." The Pure Pit Wall will be live to the public during every Grand Prix, with users able to pick out key statistics from the previous race in the interim. Check it out for yourself at http://purefla.sh/29tagiO and let us know what you think!
