Hungarian Grand Prix 2015 Preview: Start Time, TV Times, Weather, Schedule, Odds
The 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix marks the halfway stage of the Formula One season; nine of the 19 races are behind us, and the title race looks almost certain to be a two-horse race between now and the end of the year.
But the championship will be far from the minds of all the drivers this weekend.
The race will be held under a dark cloud of mourning following the death of Jules Bianchi at the age of just 25. The Frenchman died last week, nine months after sustaining terrible head injuries in a crash at last season's Japanese Grand Prix.
His funeral was held on Tuesday with a host of current and former drivers present to pay their respects. Bianchi's race number, 17, will be permanently retired.
Whatever happens in Sunday's race, the thoughts of the whole F1 community will be with this brilliant young man's family, friends and team-mates.
Let's hope the sport Bianchi loved can put on a show worthy of his memory.
Read on for a full preview of the weekend ahead including a circuit map and detailed guide, TV times, session times, tyre and DRS information, current standings, weather and odds.
Current Drivers' and Constructors' Standings
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The yo-yoing gap between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at the head of the drivers' championship is back up to 17 points after the British Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel remains a comfortable third, while Valtteri Bottas leads a tight three-way battle for fourth.
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 194 |
| 2 | Nico Rosberg | 177 |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | 135 |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | 77 |
| 5 | Kimi Raikkonen | 76 |
| 6 | Felipe Massa | 74 |
| 7 | Daniel Ricciardo | 36 |
| 8 | Daniil Kvyat | 27 |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | 24 |
| 10 | Romain Grosjean | 17 |
Mercedes' sixth one-two finish of the year saw their lead grow to 160 points over second-placed Ferrari. Williams are a further 60 points down in third, way clear of fourth-placed Red Bull.
The teams with at least one point are:
| 1 | Mercedes | 371 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 211 |
| 3 | Williams | 151 |
| 4 | Red Bull | 63 |
| 5 | Force India | 39 |
| 6 | Lotus | 29 |
| 7 | Sauber | 21 |
| 8 | Toro Rosso | 19 |
| 9 | McLaren | 5 |
Data sourced from the official F1 website.
Hungaroring
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The Hungaroring, located just a few miles to the east of the beautiful city of Budapest, has been the home of the Hungarian Grand Prix every year since 1986.
Considered tight and twisty even back then, today it looks like a giant go-kart track when viewed alongside the wide, open, modern circuits that populate the current calendar.
Per the BBC, former racer Martin Brundle once described it as "a street circuit without the houses." It's an apt analogy—nearly all the corners are slow or medium-speed, it's very narrow and overtaking can be almost impossible.
But the Hungaroring does at least offer something different. The elevation changes are magnificent, some of the corners are very challenging and the few passing moves we do get to see in a normal race are usually worth waiting for.
And as we saw last year, the weather can help make the racing here truly exceptional.
Turns 1, 2 and 3
A lap begins on the pit straight with a fairly long run down to the first corner—McLaren put the distance at 610 metres, the fourth-longest of the year. The drivers attack the downhill braking zone, slowing to around 90 kilometres an hour to negotiate the slow, right-hand Turn 1.
This is the primary overtaking spot on the circuit.
The corner opens out at the exit and the track flicks through a right-hand kink before a short straight. At the end it's back on the brakes for the long, tricky left-hander of Turn 2.
Sloping steeply downhill, the corner presents the drivers with another overtaking opportunity—though they'll probably need to go around the outside to make a pass stick.
Almost immediately after the exit and still heading downhill, the cars stream through the fast right-hand kink of Turn 3 and out onto a medium-length straight.
Turns 4 and 5
The straight is downhill until its halfway point; it then starts to rise, reaching a crest at the very tough left-hander of Turn 4.
This is probably the most difficult corner on the circuit to get absolutely right. The apex isn't visible on the approach, so the drivers must brake, thread through the tiny right-hand kink at the entry and aim at where they know the kerb lies.
Expect to see some of them run wide at the exit, especially on hot laps.
Next up is Turn 6, a long, slow- to medium-speed right-hander.
Turns 6 and 7
After a couple of seconds on the throttle it's back on the brakes for the circuit's only chicane, a slow and tight right-left combo.
If an attacking driver was able to follow a rival closely through Turn 5, he may get a better exit and get the opportunity to pull alongside into here. However, this is more a move for the wet than the dry.
The drivers get back on the loud pedal at the exit—but only for a couple of seconds.
Turns 8, 9, 10 and 11
The following sequence provides plenty of opportunities for a driver to ruin his lap. After exiting the chicane, the drivers brake and balance the throttle through the medium-speed left of Turn 8.
Turn 9 follows immediately, a slower, longer right-hander. Turn 10 is a full-throttle left-hander, the exit leading into the braking zone for Turn 11, a deceptively quick right.
The way the turns are strung together means an error in one is likely to have an adverse effect on the driver's line into the next. So though these four corners will occupy the driver of a decent car for just 12 to 13 seconds, they're a very important part of the lap.
At the exit of Turn 11 is a short downhill straight and an opportunity to catch a breather.
Turns 12, 13 and 14
With the end of the lap fast approaching, the drivers have another tricky downhill braking zone to negotiate for the slow right-hander of Turn 12. At the exit, a brief throttle squirt shoots the cars down to Turn 13, a long and relatively slow left-hander.
Slightly uphill, it's a bit of a visually unappealing corner that, in the dry at least, never seems to cause anyone a problem.
The drivers accelerate out of the corner and switch back to the left-hand side of the track for Turn 14. This slow- to medium-speed right-hander seems to take an age to navigate. It has a fairly late and prolonged apex, after which it's back on the throttle, onto the pit straight, over the timing beam and into another lap.
Pit Lane
The pit lane entry is on the inside just before Turn 14; the exit is on pit straight a little before Turn 1.
Tyres and DRS
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The Hungaroring is an unusual circuit from a tyre point of view.
Many of the corners are lengthy and the tyres spend a lot of time working hard to keep the car heading in the right direction. Indeed, they spend almost the entire lap under load, only getting a proper break—and chance to cool down—once per tour as they travel down the pit straight.
Pirelli's race preview notes how the often-high temperatures can also have a big impact on thermal degradation. So though the average speed is low, the tyres are still given a tough workout.
The tyre supplier is bringing the yellow-marked soft and white-marked medium tyres. Pirelli says this selection will provide a good balance between grip and durability.
With an expected performance gap between the two compounds of up to 1.5 seconds, the combination could also throw up some strategic variation.
DRS Zones
There will be two DRS zones at the Hungarian Grand Prix, one of which is a little bit on the small side.
The first zone will have its detection point at the entry to Turn 14. The activation point is immediately after the exit of the same corner (the final turn), and the zone runs the length of the pit straight, ending with braking for Turn 1.
The second zone—the tiny one—will run from the same activation point as the first. It starts right at the exit of the first corner and runs the length of the short straight that follows, ending at the braking point for Turn 2.
Expect more action in the first zone than the second.
Weather
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Budapest has a humid continental climate, with warm (sometimes very hot) summers and cold winters. July is typically the warmest month of the year—the average daily high is a little over 26 degrees Celsius, and rain is encountered one day in four.
It sounds relatively benign, but the weather has a habit of doing odd things and often impacts in some way or another on the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The weekend ahead looks set to be a mixed affair. Temperatures in the mid-30s Celsius and plenty of blue skies will greet the drivers on Friday, while Saturday could be hotter still. Sunday is currently forecast to be cooler and cloudier, with highs of 28 degrees.
However, it looks like there'll be a few frontal systems in the area so things could change.
BBC Weather will have the latest.
Odds
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Lewis Hamilton is favourite for the win at a circuit where he has always gone well, winning four times from eight races. Nico Rosberg sits in the second-favourite position, with Sebastian Vettel occupying his usual spot in third.
The two Renault-powered teams have slightly shorter odds than they have had at recent races.
The top 10 favourites are:
| Lewis Hamilton | 1-2 |
| Nico Rosberg | 9-4 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 14-1 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 25-1 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 50-1 |
| Felipe Massa | 50-1 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 200-1 |
| Daniil Kvyat | 200-1 |
| Max Verstappen | 300-1 |
| Carlos Sainz Jr. | 300-1 |
Selected Others
The 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix saw two safety car periods, both of which had a significant impact on the final result. It's 11-8 that we'll see the third Mercedes in 2015 and 8-15 that we won't.
McLaren should be a little more optimistic as they head into the weekend because this is a circuit that puts more emphasis on handling than power. However, the bookies don't fancy them—Fernando Alonso is 9-4 for a top 10 finish, with Jenson Button 5-2. Only the Saubers and Manors have longer odds.
And the last driver to achieve a hat-trick of pole, fastest lap and race win at the Hungaroring was Michael Schumacher back in 2004; Damon Hill also managed it in 1995. It's 5-2 for Hamilton to do it this year, 10-1 for Rosberg and 100-1 for Vettel.
All odds sourced from Oddschecker.com and correct at the time of publication.
TV Times and Session Times
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As always, the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend will consist of three free practice sessions, qualifying and the race.
The session times are as follows:
| Practice 1 | Friday | 10 a.m. |
| Practice 2 | Friday | 2 p.m. |
| Practice 3 | Saturday | 11 a.m. |
| Qualifying | Saturday | 2 p.m. |
| Race | Sunday | 2 p.m. |
All times given are Budapest local time (CEST, UTC+1). The official Formula One website has a useful tool on its homepage to convert them to your own time zone.
TV Times
In the United Kingdom, live coverage of all sessions will be provided by Sky Sports F1 and the BBC across channels One and Two. The programming times are as follows (all times BST):
| Practice 1 | Friday | 9 a.m. | 8:45 a.m. | 8:55 a.m. (Two) |
| Practice 2 | Friday | 1 p.m. | 12:45 p.m. | 1:00 p.m. (Two) |
| Practice 3 | Saturday | 10 a.m. | 9:45 a.m. | 9:55 p.m. (Two) |
| Qualifying | Saturday | 1 p.m. | 12 p.m. | 12:10 p.m. (Two) |
| Race | Sunday | 1 p.m. | 11:30 a.m. | 12:15 p.m. (One) |
In the United States, live coverage is provided by the NBC network across CNBC and NBC Sports Live Extra (SLE). The times are as follows (all times EDT):
| Practice 1 | Friday | 4 a.m. | 5 a.m. (SLE) |
| Practice 2 | Friday | 8 a.m. | 9 a.m. (SLE) |
| Practice 3 | Saturday | 5 a.m. | 5 a.m. (SLE) |
| Qualifying | Saturday | 8 a.m. | 8 a.m. (CNBC) |
| Race | Sunday | 8 a.m. | 7:30 am (CNBC) |
Enjoy the weekend!
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