Alfa Sauber: With momentum to the Hungarian GP
THIRD CONsecutive GP The Formula 1 teams traveled directly from Styria to Hungary, where world champion Mercedes made history in 2009. Alfa Romeo Sauber is confident after the two races in Austria. If fighting performances alone would bring championship points, the Alfa Romeo Sauber team would also have been rewarded with points at the second race on the Red Bull Ring. [...]
If fighting performances alone would bring championship points, the Alfa Romeo Sauber Team would have been rewarded with points in the second race at the Red Bull Ring. Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi put in good performances, which on other occasions would probably have led to a top 10 finish, as they had done a week earlier.
A combination of starting positions that did not really reflect the car's potential and bad luck in the race left the team without points at the Styrian Grand Prix.
In the right direction
Nevertheless, the team from Hinwil traveled directly from Spielberg to Budapest with a lot of positive insights, where the third race in a row will take place next Sunday - an absolute novelty in the 70-year history of Formula 1. These include a better understanding of the new C39 and the confidence that they will soon be able to fight for positions in the points again.
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Director Alfa Romeo Racing and CEO Sauber Motorsport: "Our pace has improved. We were able to fight with cars on the track that were previously faster than us. Starting from the back had put us in a difficult position. It cost Kimi time to avoid the accident involving the two Ferraris. The fact that we were still almost able to finish in the top 10 again is a sign that things are moving in the right direction. We'll take this momentum with us to Hungary."
Challenge accepted
A new challenge awaits the Swiss-Italian team at the Hungaroring. The will to take it on remains the same.
Frédéric Vasseur: "Starting the season with a triple header is a big challenge, but also an opportunity. We are taking a lot of positives with us to Hungary. We took steps forward between the two races in Spielberg and will now immediately get the answer to the questions as to whether we can put the experience from Austria into practice straight away."
Many curves take their toll
In view of the changed race calendar for the 2020 season and the high number of corners, the Hungaroring is likely to be the circuit with the highest downforce this year. The track layout requires a car set-up with a lot of downforce. It's less about speed on the straights.
Only 65 percent of the lap distance is completed at full throttle - only Singapore and Monaco have even lower figures. The GP cars only drive straight for around ten seconds per lap in Hungary, spending the remaining 65 seconds or so in corners.
The track is therefore one of the toughest for cooling the brakes. And for the drivers too: the average G-forces during a lap are among the highest of the entire season.
The beginning of hybrid success
Eleven years ago, the Hungarian Grand Prix was the first race in the history of Formula 1 to be won by a hybrid car. At that time, the use of the kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) was still voluntary - the first races of the season were all won by cars with conventional engines.
However, Mercedes-Benz had developed a hybrid system that was used by McLaren-Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton's victory on July 26, 2009 was therefore the first success for a Formula 1 car with a hybrid drive. The world champion has already won seven times in Hungary. He has only won as often at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
Hamilton chases records
Last Sunday, Hamilton scored the 85th victory of his Formula 1 career. The defending champion also finished in the points for the 34th time in a row, breaking the previous record for the most consecutive finishes in the points. Hamilton is not far away from Michael Schumacher's 91 GP victories.
Valtteri Bottas, who won the previous week, ensured a one-two victory for the black Silver Arrows at the one-off Styrian GP. The Finn Valtteri (43 points) leads the drivers' championship by six points ahead of Hamilton (37 points). The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team (80 points) leads the constructors' championship with a 41-point advantage over McLaren-Renault (39 points).
Premiere for SRF commentator Weinmann
The third Grand Prix of the year will be broadcast live on SRF2 on Sunday, July 19, from 14:50 to 15:35 and then on SRF Info until 17:00. SRF commentator for the first time is Michael Weinmann, supported by TV pundit Marc Surer.
