2022 Hungarian Grand Prix - Preview

THE TYRES ON TRACK 

• The Hungarian Grand Prix marks the halfway point of the year before the summer break, and Pirelli has chosen the tyres in the middle of the range: C2 as the P Zero White hard, C3 as the P Zero Yellow medium, C4 as the P Zero Red soft.
• The Hungaroring has a reputation for being extremely hot and dry: track temperatures during free practice last year peaked at nearly 60 degrees. But the reality is that it’s actually rained just before the race for the past two seasons in Hungary. Last year that led to a somewhat surreal re-start following a first corner incident, when Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton was the only person to get going on intermediates from the grid, while everyone else went into the pit lane for slicks.
• The Hungaroring isn’t a particularly high-energy circuit, with smooth asphalt that’s sometimes bumpy in places, and the demands on tyres being more about traction than braking.

 “The new generation of cars and tyres should be fun on this track”

“In the past, the Hungaroring has been known as a place where it’s difficult to overtake, but the new package of cars and tyres this year helps drivers get much closer to each other, which is why we have seen some great races with plenty of overtaking so far this season. Hopefully that’s going to be the case at the Hungaroring as well; a tight and twisty track where the cars are often grouped together. Hungary is also known for being very hot, but it’s also rained for the last two years there: so the moral of the story is never to jump to conclusions! We’ve seen some surprises at the Hungaroring before, and that could be the case even more this year.” 

For Formula 2, the P Zero Yellow medium and P Zero Red soft tyres have been nominated at the Hungaroring. It’s only the second time the combination has been used this season, after round two at Jeddah. Each driver has five sets of slick tyres (three medium and two soft) to use across the weekend, which consists of a 28-lap sprint race on Saturday afternoon and a feature race lasting 37 laps on Sunday morning, when drivers must use both compounds if it’s dry.  

In Formula 3, the P Zero Yellow medium tyre will be nominated for the second time this season. Its previous appearance came in round two at Imola. Drivers will get three new sets of medium tyres to use across the weekend, with one set of the soft tyre also to be carried over from the previous round at the Red Bull Ring for use in free practice only. A 19-lap sprint race on Saturday morning will be followed by a 24-lap feature race on Sunday.

• GT     
  The Spa 24 Hours, the biggest race on Pirelli’s motorsport schedule, also takes place this weekend in Belgium. Pirelli will bring around 17,000 tyres to the event for all the classes, with a capacity entry of 66 GT3 cars.     
   
• Rallying     
  Pirelli’s home round of the European Rally Championship, the Rally di Roma Capitale, took place last weekend. Pirelli driver Damiano de Tommaso won the event overall in a Skoda Fabia R5, with Pirelli drivers claiming the class victories as well.