Formula One news

Sauber has new aero for Hungary

Hard on the heels of the recent German race, where Felipe Massa scored one point, the Sauber Petronas heads for Hungaroring for the Hungarian Grand Prix hopeful of a good qualifying and race result it hopes will be helped by some new aerodynamics.

"Like Monaco, Hungaroring requires maximum downforce and it is also almost impossible to overtake there," warned Sauber's technical director Willy Rampf. "Even when they extended the straight two years ago, it didn't really help that. Unlike Monaco, it also has a very high ambient temperature, so we have to run maximum cooling too. We open every aperture up to its maximum, but drag here is much less important than downforce and cooling so that doesn't matter. We'll have some more new aerodynamic parts, so I hope we will be in good shape."

"The other big factor here is tyre performance," he added. "Normally the circuit is very sandy, which tends to create understeer because of the low level of grip. But despite that we can usually run softer compounds and I am content that Michelin has the tyre wear issue under complete control. Our strategy will largely be dictated by tyre performance, which will govern starting position, so the key is to find the right balance and tyre choice. If we start well up the grid we can consider a three-stop strategy, but that doesn't always pay out if you then get trapped in traffic. That can make a two-stop option more attractive. It all depends on how far up the order you can qualify and whether you can run with the leading bunch."

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