Formula One: Honda powers through Europe to the Hungaroring
7 August 2000
Round 12 of the Formula One World Championship takes Lucky Strike Reynard BAR Honda to Eastern Europe for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Between them, Honda (five wins) and BAR Honda driver Jacques Villeneuve (two wins) have won half of all the Grands Prix staged at the Hungaroring since the track made its F1 debut in 1986. After the high-speed straights of Hockenheim, where the cars regularly reached speeds in excess of 350km/h (220mph), the twisty nature of the short Hungaroring circuit makes quite different demands of both chassis and engine. Hockenheim is widely recognised as a circuit where straight-line speed is crucial, but engine performance is no less important at the slower circuits, such as Hungary and Austria. Whereas top speed in Germany is about overall horsepower, to be competitive around the tighter circuits, drivers require excellent power delivery throughout the torque curve to enable acceleration between the corners and, in some places, to cope with the steep gradients. Honda's latest V10 engine should be well suited to the demands of the track. "We used the latest specification Honda RA000E engine for the last two days in Germany and had no problems," says Kazutoshi Nishizawa, Technical Director of Honda Racing Development. "We have examined the data closely in the last two weeks and made some slight adjustments for this weekend. As ever, we will be hoping for a good result in Hungary." The Hungaroring In 1986, Formula One went behind the Iron Curtain into Eastern Europe for the first Hungarian Grand Prix. It was such a success that the race has remained on the schedule ever since, the beautiful city of Budapest becoming one of the highlights of the year for the teams and drivers. The modern, twisty circuit - the shortest of the season - is built into the hillside, creating a great view of the action for fans. Overtaking opportunities are scarce, however, so great emphasis is placed on qualifying performance and grid position. Honda in Hungary Honda's Formula One pedigree is perhaps best illustrated by its results at the Hungarian Grand Prix. In seven visits to the Budapest circuit, Honda has claimed five race wins, two 1-2 finishes and has never finished outside the top two. In front of an estimated 200,000 people, Williams-Honda's Nelson Piquet won the first ever Grand Prix held here, repeating the achievement the following year, with Ayrton Senna's Honda-powered Lotus following him home in second place. The Brazilian went on to win the race three times himself, but the 1991 event was perhaps the most pertinent from a Honda perspective. Soichiro Honda had passed away the previous week, so the McLaren-Honda team wore black armbands as a mark of respect. Senna delivered an emphatic pole to flag performance - a fitting tribute to the great man whose vision had inspired Honda's racing activities nearly 40 years earlier. Information Circuit Hungaroring, 2146 Mogyorod Pf 10, Hungary Circuit Length 3.968km/2.465miles Lap Record Nigel Mansell 1:18.308 (Williams Renault, 1992) Timetable (all times are local, CET is the same, UK time is one hour behind) Friday Free Practice: 11.00-12.00 & 13.00-14.00 Saturday Free Practice: 09.00-09.45 & 10.15-11.00 Qualifying: 13.00-14.00 Sunday Warm-up: 09.30-10.00 Race (77 laps): 14.00 1999 Results Winner Hakkinen (McLaren-Mercedes) 1hr 46min 23.536sec Average Speed 172.524km/h Fastest Lap Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:20.699 Pole Position Hakkinen (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:18.156 BAR 1999 Jacques Villeneuve Qualified: 9th Race: DNF Ricardo Zonta Qualified: 17th Race: 13th Previous Hungarian GP winners Schumacher (94, 98), Villeneuve (96, 97), Hill (93, 95), Senna (88, 91, 92) Honda in Hungary Grands Prix: 7 Wins: 5 (Senna 92/91/88, Piquet 87/86) Podiums: 11 Honda F1 winners Senna 32, Mansell 13, Prost 11, Piquet 7, Berger & Rosberg 3, Ginther & Surtees 1 Team wins powered by Honda McLaren-Honda 44 - Williams-Honda 23 - Honda 2 - Lotus-Honda 2 2000 BAR Honda Results Jacques Villeneuve Aus Q8, R4 - Brz Q10, DNF - SM Q9, R5 - GB Q10, DNF - SP Q6, DNF - EUR Q9, DNF - MON Q17, R7 - CAN Q6, DNF - FRA Q7, R4 - AUS Q7, R4 - GER Q9, R8 Ricardo Zonta Aus Q16, R6 - Brz Q8, R9 - SM Q14, R12 - GB Q16, DNF - SP Q16, R8 - EUR Q18, DNF - MON Q20, DNF - CAN Q8, R8 - FRA Q19, DNF - AUS Q6, DNF - GER Q12, DNF 2000 Jordan Mugen-Honda Heinz-Harald Frentzen Aus Q5, DNF - Brz Q7, R3 - SM Q6, DNF - GB Q2, DNF - SP Q8, R6 - EUR Q10, DNF - MON Q4, DNF - CAN Q5, DNF - Q8, R7 - AUS Q15, DNF - GER Q17, DNF Jarno Trulli Aus Q6, DNF - Brz Q12, R4 - SM Q8, DNF - GB Q11, R6 - SP Q7, R12 - EUR Q6, DNF - MON Q2, DNF - CAN Q7, R6 - FRA Q9, R6 - AUS Q5, DNF - GER Q6, R9 2000 Points Jacques Villeneuve - 11 Ricardo Zonta - 1 Heinz-Harald Frentzen - 5 Jarno Trulli - 6