The 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix Thread

[Ed]

Grand Prix Preview (courtesy: The FIA) - For team previews visit the 2009 F1 Team Reports Forum

Round 10 of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship takes place at the Hungaroring circuit in Mogyoród, 18 km north of Budapest. The circuit has hosted Formula One every year since 1986. The track is generally dusty given that it is built on sandy soil and this, combined with the mid-summer heat and the bumpy track surface, makes it a challenging event for drivers and their cars.

With the tight nature of the 14-corner circuit, Turn One at the end of the main straight provides the best opportunity for drivers to gain places. This corner was extensively re-profiled in 2003 to create a sharper hairpin that would increase overtaking opportunities.

The circuit is always well-attended and has become a popular mid-August venue, especially with F1 fans from neighbouring countries. It is not uncommon for thousands of Germans, Austrians and Italians to travel to the city to join the many race fans from across Eastern Europe.



CHANGES TO THE CIRCUIT SINCE 2008

- Additional conveyor belts have been added to the tyres in turns 5, 8 and 9.
- A debris fence has been installed on the wall on the right after turn 14.

HUNGARORING CIRCUIT – INTERESTING FACTS

- The event will feature the participation of over 100 track marshals, 160 fire and emergency crew, 88 medical staff, 30 rescue staff and 66 crane crew.

- Most of the circuit’s outside curves feature artificial grass which will force drivers to stay within the boundaries of the track.

Circuit data

Length of lap: 4.381km
Offset: 0.040km
Total number of race laps: 70
Total race distance: 306.630km
Speed limits in the pit lane: 60km/h during practice sessions; 100km/h during qualifying and race


Formula One time table

Friday

Practice Session 1: 10.00 – 11.30 hrs
Practice Session 2: 14.00 – 15.30 hrs

Saturday

Practice Session 3: 11.00 – 12.00 hrs
Qualifying: 14.00 – 15.00 hrs

Sunday

Race: 14.00 hrs

[Ed]

We will be using a new interface for covering all the practice sessions, qualifying and the race. It is a specific interface for covering events which will provide a much improved experience.

You can follow our coverage live here

[Ed]

First Friday practice coverage notes

8:55: Good morning and welcome to our live coverage. Practice session starting in 5 minutes

8:58: Jamie Alguersuari will become the youngest ever Formula 1 race driver when he races this weekend

9:00: Session underway and Vettel, Buemi, Kubica are the first out on the track

9:01: Alguersuari is also out on the track!

9:05: Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld stays out for 2 laps, the rest pit after one lap

9:07: Trulli and Hamilton now on their installation laps

9:09: Barrichello now on his installation lap as Alguersuari goes back out on the track

9:11: Alguersuari has no F1 experience and will be a lot of running these 2 sessions

9:12: The Toro Rosso has a major update this weekend and the team are expecting a major leap forward

9:13: A 1:34.716 for Alguersuari

9:14: Now Alguersuari improves with a 1:31.457

9:15: Many drivers raised concerns about the lack of experience of the young Spaniard although Alonso has been very supportive of him

9:16: Now a 1:29.313 for Alguersuari

9:17: For reference, the fastest lap in 2008 was a 1:21.195 by Kimi Raikkonen

9:17: Sebastien Buemi now on the track

9:21: Jenson Buton is on the track as Buemi improves with a 1:25.894 and Alguersuari with a 1:27.108

9:21: Button returns to the pits. Only the 2 Toro Rosso cars have set times so far

9:22: Alguersuari now quicker than Buemi!

9:23: Another improvement by Alguersuari with a 1:25.585

9:23: Buemi about to respond

9:24: A 1:25.034 for Buemi now

9:26: Nearly 30 minutes into the session and only the 2 Toro Rosso cars have set lap times

9:28: Buemi pits after 9 laps while Alguersuari continues having done 14 laps so far.
Heidfeld and Trulli on track now

9:30: Both Toyota and BMW Sauber had poor races in Monaco and this track is similar so it will be interesting to see if they do better

9:31: Heidfeld pits without setting a time. Trulli sets a 1:27.488

9:31: Kimi Raikkonen heads out to the track

9:34: Trulli goes fastest with a 1:24.983

9:35: Raikkonen sets a 1:28.349

9:37: Trulli improves with a 1:24.057

9:38: Kimi Raikkonen moves into 4th with a 1:25.067

9:39: Alonso moves into second with a 1:24.861

9:40: Alonso very quick!

9:40: But he makes a mistake in the final sector. 2nd with a 1:24.209

9:41: Massa now fastest with a 1:23.735

9:42: Vettel up into 4th

9:44: Villeneuve at the track working on securing a drive for next year

9:45: Rosberg moves into second with a 1:23.810

9:45: Now Vettel fastest with a 1:23.713

9:46: Rosberg goes fastest with a 1:23.268, Alonso in second!

9:47: Alguersuari is in 14th having covered 21 laps so far

9:50: Now Kubica fastest with a 1:23.219

9:50: Webber fastest with a 1:22.615

9:52: Hamilton now up into second with a 1:22.838

9:53: Piquet is down in 18th. He is under a lot of pressure this weekend as if he doesn't perform he will almost certainly be out

9:54: Raikkonen is in 20th and has done only 7 laps. Looks like he has a problem ?

9:55: Raikkonen back on the track

9:57: Track temperature up to 37 degrees! It is going to be a hot weekend!

9:58: It is relatively quiet on the track. Only a few drivers on the track

10:00: Raikkonen moves up to 7th with a 1:23.531

10:02: Massa goes wide but recovers. Almost lost it and hit the armco

10:04: Raikkonen now up into 3rd with a 1:23.192

10:05: Less that a second separate the top 12

10:08: Alonso up into 3rd while Piquet has moved up into 16th

10:09: Sutil and Fisichella down in 19th and 20th. Mallya must be dissapointed

10:09: Hamilton super quick in S1 but loses his advatange in S2

10:11: In Hungary the teams are using soft and super soft tyre compounds

10:11: There is no 'gap' between the tyres offered

10:12: Fisichella up into 15th

10:15: Alguersuari is down in 19th at this stage. Buemi is 16th but is only 0.2 seconds quicker

10:17: Only 3 cars on the track at the moment as Trulli jumps into second!

10:20: More cars heading out with just 10 minutes remaining. The field is very close, just a second separates the top 14!

10:24: Hamilton fastest with a 1:22.554

10:26: Everyone is on the track except for Kubica - 5 minutes remain

10:27: Raikkonen up into 3rd. Rosberg on a flyer!

10:27: Rosberg fastest with a 1:22.337

10:28: Hamilton quickest in S1 but makes a mistake and pits

10:30: Final seconds into the session and the order could still change

10:30: Session over! Awaiting final timed laps

10:31: Kovalainen goes fastest with a 1:22.278!

10:32: Top 10: Kovalainen, Rosberg, Hamilton, Webber, Nakajima, Trulli, Raikkonen, Massa, Alonso and Button

10:33: 11th to 20th: Kubica, Heidfeld, Barrichello, Glock, Vettel, Fisichella, Piquet, Sutil, Buemi and Alguersuari

10:34: Top 15 are within 1.005 seconds. Buemi is 0.23 seconds quicker than Alguersuari

10:35: Most laps covered: Alguersuari (42), Buemi (37), Glock (30)

10:38: Least laps covered: Trulli (17), Sutil (18 ), Hamilton & Fisichella (20)

10:38: Second Friday practice in 2 hours and 20 minutes

[Julian Mayo]

It's a ripper, thanks Ed!!!!!

[Ed]

It's a ripper, thanks Ed!!!!!

Glad you liked it. Readers can also submit comments and ask questions during the session as well

[Ed]

Second Friday practice coverage notes

1:00 Session underway

1:00 Air temperature at 28 degrees while track temperature at 45 degrees

1:02 Cars are already on track and Heidfeld and Trulli have started their first flyers!

1:03 A 1:25.193 for Heidfeld, Trulli in second and Glock in third

1:04 Piquet goes fastest with a 1:24.206

1:07 Now Heidfeld goes fastest ahead of Hamilton

1:07 Nakajima fastest with a 1:23.910

1:08 Piquet fastest with a 1:23.414

1:09 Massa wide and complaining about the tyres

1:11 Barrichello, Kovalainen and Sutil have yet to set a time

1:14 Kovalainen back on the track and is very quick!

1:15 Kovalainen goes fastest with a 1:23.396

1:16 Now Robserg tops the timesheets with a 1:23.116

1:18 Sutil remains in the garage. Looks like a technical problem for him

1:20 Alguersuari is currently in 18th and around 4 tenths slower than teammate Buemi

1:21 Massa who complained of tyre problems earlier is down in 19th at the moment having covered just 6 laps. Sutil on the track

1:22 Fisichella up into second place!

1:24 Vettel now fastest with a 1:23.013. He is on the super softs

1:24 Now Webber fastest with a 1:22.918!

1:25 Massa back on the track

1:26 Kovalainen goes fastest with a 1:22.126. Button up to 3rd

1:26 Buemi in 10th!

1:28 Massa up into 7th despite going a bit wide!

1:29 Button up into second but still nearly 0.7 seconds behind Kovalainen who seems to be really fired up!

1:30 Kovalainen is under a lot of pressure and his seat with McLaren is under threat

1:33 Alguersuari up into 18th!

1:34 Kubica is currently in 20th! Heidfeld in 15th. Trulli in 17th and Glock in 19th! Is this a repeat of Monaco ?

1:35 Kubica on the super softs moves up into 9th with a 1:23.243

1:38 Vettel describes his pace as 'good' and that he needs 'a couple of tenths' in the middle sector. He is currently in 5th with a 1:23.013

1:40 Now Trulli and Glock are 19th and 20th!

1:42 Glock jumps into second with a 1:22.778

1:46 Massa goes wide again! He recovers
He is in 9th at this stage

1:47 Barrichello spins into the gravel but manages to get back on the track. Trulli is going slow

1:48 Trulli has parked his car on the side of the track

1:50 Trulli is 20th and nearly 2 seconds off the pace

1:55 Hamilton down in 15th and Alonso down in 17th. Both showed promising pace in the morning session!

1:56 Webber closes in on Kovalainen's time with a 1:22.369

1:59 Alonso moves up to 10th. He is on the super softs

2:00 Hamilton up into 7th with a 1:23.012

2:02 Alonso up into 4th with a 1:22.793

2:03 Barrichello up into 3rd with a 1:22.695

2:09 Trulli's car arrives back at the pits. Will they be able to send him out again ? Just over 20 minutes remaining

2:09 Rosberg up into second with a 1:22.154

2:14 Trulli makes it back out! Must have been an easy problem to fix

2:17 Massa again complaining about a problem with his car

2:17 Trulli up into 12th

2:18 Heidfeld is now at the back of the field. He is 1.827 seconds off the pace despite having covered 37

2:18 37 laps so far for Heidfeld

2:19 Trulli up into 6th with a 1:22.663

2:24 Heidfeld has moved up into 19th dropping Alguersuari down to 20th

2:26 Hamilton on a quick lap!

2:27 Hamilton has a slow final sector and doesn't improve. He remains in 11th

2:28 All the cars are on the track except for Webber

2:30 Hamilton now goes fastest with a 1:22.079

2:30 Session over! Waiting for the drivers to complete their flying laps

2:32 Top 10: Hamilton, Kovalainen, Rosberg, Webber, Nakajima, Vettel, Barrichello, Trulli, Heidfeld and Glock

2:34 11th to 20th: Raikkonen, Alonso, Button, Kubica, Piquet, Sutil, Fisichella, Massa, Buemi and Alguersuari

2:36 The top 3 are separated by 0.075 seconds. 19 cars are separated by 1.097 seconds. The times are very close!

2:37 Most laps covered: Rosberg (47), Buemi & Glock (45) and Heidfeld (43)

2:38 Least laps covered: Sutil & Trulli (28 ), Webber (29) and Vettel (30)

2:40 Boith Hamilton and Vettel indicate that they are not too happy yet and there is a lot of work to be done

2:42 We hope that you have enjoyed our coverage.

Tomorrow's 3rd practice session starts at 11 am local time (9 am GMT)

[Ed]

Team quotes and notes from Friday now updated at the 2009 F1 Team Reports Forum

[Ed]

Satruday practice coverage notes:

10:03 Saturday practice session underway. It is sunny but windy at the Hungaroring

10:04 Most drivers have completed their installation laps

10:07 It is quiet on the track now. All drivers have completed their installation laps. Heidfeld and Hamilton did 2 laps while everyone else did just one lap

10:12 Alguersuari made his Formula 1 debut yesterday and Franz Tost was happy saying 'a fantastic job so far'

10:13 The two Toyotas and Alguersuari are back on the track

10:14 15 minutes into the session and no timed laps yet

10:15 Trulli starts a flyer! There are more clouds now in the sky!

10:15 A 1:30.122 for Trulli

10:16 Glock sets a 1:25.815

10:17 Alonso now quickest with a 1:25.577

10:17 Pat Symonds was very happy with the performance from the Renault car yesterday!

10:18 Rosberg goes quickest with a 1:24.473, Buemi in second!

10:19 Rosberg improves with a 1:23.659

10:20 Buemi fastest!

10:21 Alguersuari improves to 7th with a 1:24.281

10:22 Now Kovalainen quickest with a 1:23.343. Rosberg in second

10:23 Webber and Massa have yet to set times but both are out on the track

10:24 Buemi goes fastest with a 1:23.123

10:25 Hamilton goes fastest with a 1:22.280

10:29 Kubica now moves into second

10:31 Massa up into 5th!

10:32 Glock seems to have a problem having covered just 4 laps. He is 20th

10:33 Alguersuari moves into 11th on the super softs

10:35 Alguersuari now up into 6th with a 1:22.913

10:36 And now the young Spaniard moves into second! He must be practicing some a low fuel run

10:39 Alonso jumps into second with a 1:22.369. He is on the super softs

10:40 Nearly all the cars are on the track

10:42 Alonso now fastest but Hamilton on a quick one

10:43 Indeed Hamilton goes fastest with a 1:22.074

10:43 Hamilton fastest but Sutil just crashes

10:45 Sutil is ok. He went straight into the barriers but he wasn't going very fast

10:47 Kovalainen moves into third with a 1:22.414

10:49 Glock remains in the garage. Appears to be a major problem

10:49 Massa takes 3rd with a 1:22.339

10:50 Hamilton, Massa and Kovalainen have the quickest 1st sector - Most likely due to KERS

10:51 Massa goes fastest with a 1:21.911. Low fuel runs are underway

10:53 Alguersuari is up in 4th! So far he has made no mistakes on the track!

10:53 Glock finally makes it out with 8 minutes remaining

10:54 Hamilton goes fastest with a 1:21.502. Barrichello in 3rd

10:55 Rosberg now uo into second with a 1:21.585

10:56 A superfast first sector from Hamilton!

10:56 A 1:21.207 for Hamilton

10:57 Everyone on the track except for Alguersuari

10:58 Heidfeld up into second

10:59 Hamilton improves in first. Kovalainen on a flyer

11:01 Session over! Waiting for the final laps

11:02 Top 10: Hamilton, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Kovalainen, Buemi, Glock, Massa, Nakajima, Webber and Vettel

11:05 11th to 20th: Kubica, Trulli, Barrichello, Piquet, Raikkonen, Alonso, Button, Alguersuari, Fisichella and Sutil

11:07 The top 13 are separated by 1.092 seconds

11:08 Most laps covered: Trulli (25), Heidfeld, Buemi and Fisichella (23) and Barrichello & Button (22)

11:09 Least laps covered: Glock (12), Webber and Sutil (16) and Piquet (17)

11:11 Qualifying in just under 2 hours. Will be a close one

[Ed]

You can follow our qualifying coverage live here

[Ed]

Fernando Alonso is on Pole for the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.
Felipe Massa was hit by debris from Rubens Barrichello's car. He was knocked out and drove straight into the barriers. Reports that he is injured but his injuries are not life threatining.
Luckily he was on his inlap so he wasn't going too fast.

[Ed]

Qualifying coverage notes

12:50 Qualifying session starting in just over 10 minutes

12:57 Air temperature at 23 degrees and track temperature at 41 degrees

12:59 McLaren have topped the timesheets in all the practice sessions. Can they convert that to a Pole position when it matters ?

1:00 Session underway and Jaime Alguersuari makes his Formula 1 qualifying debut

1:01 Buemi and Fisichella on the track as well

1:01 Alguersuari is already on the super softs

1:03 A 1:24.691 for Alguersuari

1:04 A 1:22.280 for Buemi. A 1:23.951 for Alguersuari (apologies)

1:04 More drivers are on the track now

1:05 Buemi improves with a 1:21.813

1:06 Piquet moves into 3rd. Raikkonen on the track and he is also on the super softs

1:06 Rosberg up into second

1:07 Massa into 3rd

1:07 Raikkonen moves into second

1:08 Webber goes wide on his first flyer

1:08 Raikkonen now fastest with a 1:21.602

1:09 Now Vettel fastest ahead of Raikkonen, Rosberg and Hamilton

1:10 Raikkonen moves back to the top of the timesheets with a 1:21.500. Vettel second and Webber in third

1:12 Sutil has yet to go out

1:14 Piquet is down in 18th. Not looking good for him

1:16 Looks like everyone is going back out on the track

1:17 Sutil has returned to the pits!

1:17 Sutil makes it back on the track and with less than 3 minutes to go, all the drivers are on the track

1:18 The order is set to change in the next 2 minutes

1:18 Vettel fastest

1:19 Alguersuari slow and there are yellow flags!

1:19 Rosberg now fastest

1:20 Alonso in 16th but has one final chance! Webber in second and Vettel in third at the moment

1:21 Alonso made it with just a few seconds left

1:21 Piquet up into 5th!

1:22 Knocked out: Heidfeld, Fisichella, Sutil, Kubica and Alguersuari

1:23 Top 15: Rosberg, Hamilton, Webber, Vettel, Piquet, Alonso, Nakajima, Trulli, Massa, Button, Raikkonen, Barrichello, Buemi, Glock, Kovalainen

1:25 The top 16 were separated by less than a second. 1. Rosberg (1:20.793) and 16. Heidfeld (1:21.738)

1:26 Heidfeld walks away from his pit garage shaking his head

1:28 Second Qualifying session underway

1:28 Raikkonen and Trulli are the first on the track

1:30 12 cars already on the track

1:31 Kovalainen was nearly knocked out in Q1! The field is amazingly close

1:31 Slow times by Trulli and Raikkonen

1:31 Now Webber quickest with a 1:21.067 #F1

1:32 The 2 Renaults are the only cars yet to go out

1:32 Vettel now quickest with a 1:20.964. Piquet is out on the track now

1:33 Alonso also on the track as Webber remains in second just behind Vettel

1:34 Rosberg goes fastest with a 1:20.895

1:35 Alonso on a very quick lap

1:35 Alonso fastest with a 1:20.885!

1:37 Alonso having a second run and he improves again with a 1:20.826

1:39 The top 14 in Q2 are separated by 1.001 seconds

1:40 Everyone is back on the track except for Alonso. 2 minutes remain

1:40 Vettel goes quickest with a 1:20.604. Alonso will not go back out

1:41 Webber fastest, Vettel second and Raikkonen in 3rd. Alonso could be in danger!

1:42 Hamilton in second now dropping Alonso to 6th

1:43 Alonso down in 8th but it looks like he is safe! Massa off and into the tyre barriers!

1:44 Massa remains in the car, we hope he is ok. The medical car arrives

1:44 We hope that Massa is ok

1:46 Order at the end of Q2: Webber, Hamilton, Nakajima, Vettel, Raikkonen, Button, Kovalainen, Massa, Alonso, Rosberg

1:47 Knocked out: Buemi, Trulli, Barrichello, Glock, Piquet

1:49 No replay for Massa's incident. It seems that the car may have had a stuck throttle

1:50 Massa's car has been removed. We hope that Massa is ok

1:51 Now replay shows that something went wrong with the car and he went straight into the barriers. The impact was strong

1:54 The replay shows a strong impact and he may have been knocked out. Hopefully he is ok

1:58 Flavio Briatore having a discussion at the Ferrari pit wall. Still no news on Massa though which is most important

1:59 Track marshals on the track for something! Some reports indicate something hit Massa!

2:02 Massa's car arrives back at the pits. The front nose is badly damaged

2:02 The strange thing is that Massa was on his inlap

2:03 Latest is that some part from Barrichello's car may have hit Massa

2:05 Replay shows Massa was hit by debris which knocked him out. How bizzare

2:06 Very very unlucky for Massa. This explains why Barrichello's car is being checked

2:07 Reports are that Massa is ok. He was hit on the chin and that knocked him out

2:09 The metal bit that was flying and hit Massa's helmet looked like a nut or something similar

2:10 3rd qualifying underway!

2:11 Session underway and Rosberg, Alonso and Kovalainen are on the track

2:11 Reports are a piece of tube may have hit Massa!

2:12 The important thing is that he is ok

2:12 Only Button yet to go out on the track

2:13 A 1:23.620 for Rosberg

2:13 Alonso goes quickest from Kovalainen

2:14 Button still in the garage. Are they checking his car after what happened with Barrichello ?

2:15 Rosberg goes quickest with a 1:22.293

2:15 Alonso fastest then Hamilton then Webber!!

2:16 Order: Webber, Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel

2:17 Button on the track now. He is going for 1 run

2:18 Barrichello reports that Massa is talking and is ok

2:18 Raikkonen on a quick one!

2:19 Rosberg quickest with a 1:21.890

2:19 Alonso now quickest with a 1:21.569!

2:20 Timing is lost as the session is over

2:21 We are in the dark now! No times are available but it sounds as if Alonso is on Pole

2:22 Confusion as the drivers don't know who is on Pole!!

2:23 What a bizzare session

2:24 Alonso still unsure about who is on pole asking everyone around. Bizzare!

2:25 The order is thought to be Alonso from Vettel and Rosberg but not confirmed yet

2:27 We will provide the final order as soon as we receive confirmation as all the timing monitors have failed

2:29 It is Alonso from Vettel and Webber. An all Renault top 3

2:29 Top 10 - Grid for Hungary: Alonso, Vettel, Webber, Hamilton, Rosberg, Kovalainen, Raikkonen, Button, Nakajima and Massa

2:32 Best news though is that Massa is ok. Getting knocked out like that is so bizzare and everyone is glad that it wasn't more serious

2:35 Of course we will have to wait for the fuel loads to see if any are very light

2:40 Just 0.321 seconds separate the top 5. 1. Alonso (1.21.569) - 5. Rosberg (1:21.890) Amazing!

Race coverage tomorrow from 11:30 GMT

[Ed]

The latest on Felipe Massa is that he is stable but appears to have suffered an injury to his head just above his left eye. The severity of the injury is not know at this stage.
All of us at NewsOnF1 wish Felipe Massa a full and speedy recovery.

[Ed]

Ferrari issued the following statement:

After the accident during the qualifying session of the Grand Prix of Hungary, Felipe Massa was airlifted to the AEK hospital in Budapest. Felipe was conscious at the arrival at the hospital and his general conditions remain stable. Following a complete medical examination it emerged that he had suffered a cut on his forehead, a bone damage of his skull and a brain concussion. These conditions need to be operated on after which he will remain under observation in intensive care.

Further information will be released later tonight.

[Ed]

Team quotes and notes from Saturday now updated at the 2009 F1 Team Reports Forum

[Ed]

Car pre-race weights: (sorted by grid position)

Pos. Car Team Driver Weight (kg)
1. 07 Renault Fernando Alonso 637.5
2. 15 RBR Renault Sebastian Vettel 655.0
3. 14 RBR Renault Mark Webber 652.0
4. 01 McLaren Mercedes Lewis Hamilton 650.5
5. 16 Williams Toyota Nico Rosberg 654.0
6. 02 McLaren Mercedes Heikki Kovalainen 655.5
7. 04 Ferrari Kimi Räikkönen 651.5
8. 22 Brawn Mercedes Jenson Button 664.5
9. 17 Williams Toyota Kazuki Nakajima 658.0

10. 12 STR Ferrari Sébastien Buemi 671.5
11. 09 Toyota Jarno Trulli 671.3
12. 23 Brawn Mercedes Rubens Barrichello 689.0
13. 10 Toyota Timo Glock 679.2
14. 08 Renault Nelson Piquet 667.7
15. 06 BMW Sauber Nick Heidfeld 658.0
16. 21 Force India Mercedes Giancarlo Fisichella 680.5
17. 20 Force India Mercedes Adrian Sutil 683.5
18. 05 BMW Sauber Robert Kubica 666.0
19. 11 STR Ferrari Jaime Alguersuari 675.5