from MOGYOROD (HUNGARY)
“The track is falling apart, they did a terrible job”. This is what George Russell declared after Friday’s free practice sessions regarding the track conditions at the Hungaroring, which has been re-asphalted in several places compared to the previous edition of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Both FP1 and FP2 were characterized by suboptimal track conditions, with a lot of dirt brought by the strong wind and new asphalt that was not convincing, even crumbling, especially at turns 12 and 14. This caused several errors by the drivers, with intense lock-ups and also an accident involving Colapinto.
The fear is of seeing a repeat of what happened in Monaco, with pieces of asphalt literally detaching at Anthony Noghes, which led to the race being interrupted after the incidents involving Stroll and Leclerc.
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Interventions during the night at the Hungaroring
The issue was thoroughly discussed in the FIA briefing with the drivers on Friday evening. The strong complaints led Race Director Rui Marques to inspect the circuit in the evening, immediately starting work to try and smooth out the rough patches. In addition to the indicated points, Turn 1 was also highlighted due to the presence of an accentuated bump precisely at the transition between the old and new asphalt.
The intervention areas by the organizers of the Hungarian Grand Prix did not only concern the ideal racing line, but also the innermost part of the first braking zone, as this is one of the main and probable overtaking points.
