Formula 1 has headed straight from Hockenheim to the Hungaroring for the final event prior to the summer break. Motorsport Week takes a look at some of the key talking points.
Is it now or never for Bottas?
It would be churlish to suggest that Valtteri Bottas’ career hinges on the Hungarian Grand Prix but the outcome of this weekend’s event will go a long way to determining his 2019 – and perhaps 2020 – prospects. Win, and he enters the summer break in a confident mood, and having taken points out of Lewis Hamilton’s title advantage. Lose – and lose to Hamilton – and it means he enters the summer break at least 47 points down, a surely irreversible deficit, and win-less in eight races.
Budapest has never been the happiest of hunting grounds for Bottas – his 2017 third is his sole podium at the venue – but he desperately needs a good result this weekend. His costly crash, off the back of an anonymous showing, was a bitter blow for his title chances in Germany. Mercedes is still making up its mind over its 2020 driver line-up. Bottas remains favourite for the seat but a strong performance would answer a lot of critics. A subdued one would leave them with further ammunition.
Will Hungary show Ferrari’s progress?
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This has been an exceptionally disappointing opening half of 2019 for Ferrari. Its pre-season pace went to nought as Mercedes’ accelerated development left Ferrari standing, while reliability issues and blunders allowed a handful of opportunities to slip through its grasp. Ferrari’s pure pace weaknesses are most pronounced in slow- and medium-speed sections, which were highlighted starkly in Spain and Monaco.
It introduced a handful of aero parts in France and Austria, with varying levels of success, but Budapest’s Hungaroring circuit is the first venue since then that will be a pure test for Ferrari. The high-downforce venue features an array of low- and medium-speed corners, with little in the way of full-throttle sections for Ferrari’s power unit to make up any deficit. If it is in the hunt in Hungary it can deem itself satisfied with gains, but if it finds itself cut adrift behind Mercedes and Red Bull then it might be back to the drawing board, again.
Another chance for Verstappen and Red Bull?
Max Verstappen has been exceptional in 2019. He has matured like a fine wine, has (largely) stayed out of trouble, has bagged the points when no more was on offer, and has sprung into action to take home trophies when the opportunities arose. Throughout the hybrid era Red Bull has pinpointed a handful of circuits as prime chances, namely Monaco, Hungary, Singapore and Mexico, due to the reduced reliance on engine power.
The advantage now for Red Bull is that Honda has stepped up in the power stakes, while its own chassis has made great strides in recent months. Verstappen came closer than expected to pole position at the last three grands prix and took victory in two of them, while in Monaco he remained glued to the gearbox of the tyre-limited Hamilton for much of the race. That the Red Bull-Honda partnership is growing so strongly, after just 11 races together, is hugely encouraging for the second half of the year and beyond.
Can Renault fight back amid malaise?
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Several teams have underwhelmed in 2019 but few have flattered to deceive to the extent of Renault. The manufacturer entered the year aiming to close the gap to the front-runners while gapping the midfield, but it instead arrives at the mid-point of the year a lacklustre sixth in the standings. It is particularly lagging compared to customer team McLaren, providing clear examples of where the factory team is going wrong. Reliability setbacks continue to hamper prospects.
The R.S.19 has strengths but also too many weaknesses to be considered a step forward on its predecessor. It has also allowed opportunities to slip through its grasp, whether that be incorrect or conservative strategies, or mistakes from drivers. At this stage last year it had amassed 80 points, but 12 months on it has accrued just 39, despite the acquisition of big-money signing Daniel Ricciardo.
Will Haas get a grip on perplexing car and feuding drivers?
Haas – which challenged Renault for fourth in 2018 – is another team to have disappointed in 2019. The VF-19 is a fundamentally astute package that has been rapid over one lap, but suffers such performance fluctuations – particularly in race trim – that its drivers and team boss remain baffled. Romain Grosjean reverted to a Melbourne-spec car in Britain, having loathed the update introduced in Spain, while Kevin Magnussen stayed on the current-spec car, though also indicated that he wanted to go back.
At Hockenheim, the split trial produced no conclusive outcome. The drivers were fast at various stages of the weekend, with Magnussen suggesting temperature played a big factor, while in the race the VF-19’s pace was not especially rapid. It will persist again in Hungary this weekend. Haas is also set to decide on whether to use team orders, in the wake of another clash between its drivers, with Steiner nearing the end of his tether.
