After the drama and thrills of Silverstone three weeks ago, Formula One visits Hungary this weekend to take on the challenges that the Hungaroring Circuit has to offer.
It has been an emotional week for everyone related to the sport since the passing of Jules Bianchi after a long and difficult battle, but F1 will show their true character and stand strong together for the race on Sunday.
Bianchi passed away late on Friday night after a long and intense battle with his severe head injuries that he sustained in an accident at the Japanese Grand Prix in October of last year. Tributes poured in from all over the world and following his funeral on Tuesday, this weekend’s race has not entirely being on everyone's minds.
Lewis Hamilton will be desperate to add to his number of victories this season as his win at Silverstone last time out saw him take his tally to five wins this season. Hamilton has been very successful in Hungary having won four times since his first win back in 2007 and also draw level with Michael Schumacher with most wins here.
A win for the Brit here this weekend would give Hamilton a strong lead at the top of the championship heading into the Summer break.
Daniel Ricciardo was victorious here last year, and what a lot has changed in a year for the Australian and his Red Bull team. Red Bull racing continues to struggle behind the frontrunners of Mercedes, Ferrari and Williams, and despite minor progress in the British Grand Prix with Danii Kyvat finishing in sixth position anything more than a fifth place finish would be considered a success.
McLaren have dominated procedures since the arrival of the grand prix in Budapest as they have tasted success 11 times with Ferrari second in the table with seven victories.
History of the track
The first Hungarian GP took place in 1986, with an estimated 200,000 people turning up for the race. Michael Schumacher currently holds the lap record (1,19.4071) when racing for Ferrari in 2004. Since the arrival of the grand prix in Budapest, the track has only seen three rain-hit races in 2006, 2011 and 2014.
Track Information
Number of Laps: 70.
Track length: 4.381 km.
Tyre allocation: Soft (yellow) and medium (white).
Lap record: Michael Schumacher - 1:19.4071 (Ferrari, 2004).
2014 pole: Nico Rosberg - 1:22.715 (Mercedes).
Last five winners in Hungary
2014: Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull); 2013: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes); 2012: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren); 2011: Jenson Button (McLaren); 2010: Mark Webber (Red Bull).
What the drivers said
Jenson Button stated it would be 'a nice feeling to return to the Hungaroring with Honda power' behind him, having previously won a race for Honda nine years ago in 2006. He also admitted he has a 'place in my heart for this place', because it was his first grand prix victory and thus a special event - as well as being a place that he has 'always enjoyed.'
Nico Hulkenberg meanwhile, said he's 'always had good memories of racing in Hungary', ever since he first raced there in 2009 in GP2. Looking on, he said it's 'an unusual track with a tight and twisty layout.' Because of this, you 'have to find your rhythm because all the corners flow into each other and it's easy to lose your momentum with just a small mistake.'
Lastly, Nico Rosberg said that this has been 'a very emotional week' - as the drivers paid their final respects to Jules and said farewell to the 25-year-old. However, the German also stated that 'we must race on and race hard for Jules as he would have wanted to be doing himself. It’s the final race before the team gets a well-earned break and I’ll be pushing as always to give everyone something positive to take into their holidays.'