Round 10 of the 2013 Formula 1 season sees the teams preparing to do battle around the tight and twisting Hungaroring, home of the Hungarian Grand Prix – the final race before the sport’s traditional summer break.
Sky Sports F1 will have exclusive live coverage of every on-track session from the race which marks the halfway point of the championship, while BBC One will screen free-to-air highlights.
The Hungarian Grand Prix has been an ever-present on the calendar since 1986 and ranks third on the list of circuits to host the most consecutive F1 World Championship races, beaten only by Monaco (59) and Monza (32).
With 14 corners and just one real straight,the Hungaroring presents teams with a similarproblem to that encountered in Monaco – how to maximise high downforce performance.
Optimum aerodynamic grip will be the provenance of the teams but mechanical grip will largely come from a new range of Pirelli tyres.
The manufacturer has altered its tyres for the rest of the season and will this weekend debut new tyres based on 2012 constructions and 2013 compounds.
At the Hungaroring, teams will have a choice of Soft and Medium compounds.
Despite the Hungaroring being a tough track on which to overtake, pole position isn’t as crucial as some may think.
Since 2005, the man starting at the front has won just twice, with Lewis Hamilton starting from pole and winning the race in both 2007 and 2012.
In the Drivers’ Championship, current leader Sebastian Vettel will have a chance to edge closer to a full set of current GP wins.
A first home win at the Nürburgring three weeks ago leaves the German with just two winners’ trophies to claim – Hungary and the United States – but victory at the Hungaroring has proved elusive, with second in 2011 his best result.
The form driver here is Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who with three wins (2007, 2009, 2012), is just one shy of matching Michael Schumacher’s Hungaroring win record.
In the Constructors’ battle, Red Bull Racing lead Mercedes by a healthy 67-point margin, with Ferrari third, just three points further back.
There’s plenty to play for as the teams, drivers and fans get their final F1 fix before the sport goes into summer hibernation until Spa.
FORMULA 1 2013 ON SKY SPORTS F1 HD
Sky Sports F1 HD has exclusive live coverage all the on-track action from this year’s Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.
Every practice session, Saturday’s qualifying and the race itself will be shown live in high-definition.
Simon Lazenby will present full coverage of the Friday practice sessions, qualifying and the race itself, where he will be joined throughout the weekend by Martin Brundle, Johnny Herbert and Damon Hill.
Ted Kravitz and Natalie Pinkham will have the latest news and reports and from the pit lane – as well as hosting Friday evening’s F1 Show – while commentary on all sessions comes from David Croft.
Martin Brundle joins Croft in the commentary box for both qualifying and the race, while Anthony Davidson will call the practice sessions as well as offer his insights from the Sky Pad during the weekend.
Saturday’s live qualifying show will be in ‘half-time review’ mode when the Sky Sports F1 line-up speak to all eleven teams about their respective highs and lows so far in 2013.
During the course of the one-long build-up we’ll hear, in reverse Constructors’ Championship order, from a mix of drivers and team bosses from up and down the pitlane to help plot the different stories of the season to date.
There are also plenty of reasons to tune into the Race Day show from 11.30am on Sunday morning.
After his impressive run to the podium in Germany, there will be a feature interview with Romain Grosjean as the Frenchman looks to establish some momentum to his season at Lotus.
The expected speed of his E21 around the Hungaroring is likely to present Grosjean with another chance for challenge for top honours this weekend and what chance him becoming the latest maiden F1 winner in Budapest?
The circuit has a long history of being the scene for first-time triumphs – remember Sky’s very own Damon Hill’s back in 1993? – and there will be interviews with the most recent pair to do just that, Jenson Button and Heikki Kovalainen, as they immerse themselves in a little nostalgia.
Finally, the third set-piece feature sees the Sky F1 team chart the evolution of the Formula 1 pitstop.
In addition, Natalie Pinkham will also be out on the drivers parade and Martin Brundle’s famous grid walk will also be part of Sky’s race coverage.
During the race, a host of interactive additions, including on-board cameras, pit-lane feeds, the latest race stats and much more available via the red button and the Sky Sports for iPad app.
For those who won’t be at home, every second of the action can be seen via computers, laptops, mobiles and tablet devices on Sky Go.
Further information, news and video content can be found at skysports.com/f1, and viewers are encouraged to interact with the live programmes via Twitter – @SkySportsF1, #SkyF1.
Sky Sports F1 will also screen live action from GP2 and GP3 Series throughout the weekend with commentary provided by Will Buxton.
Friday 27th July
F1: Hungarian Grand Prix – Practice 1 | Start: 09:00
LIVE: 8.45am-11.00am Sky Sports F1
F1: Hungarian Grand Prix – Practice 2 | Start: 13:00
LIVE: 12.45pm-2.50pm Sky Sports F1
The F1 Show
LIVE: 5.00pm-6.00pm Sky Sports F1
Saturday 28th July
F1: Hungarian Grand Prix – Practice 3 | Start: 10:00
LIVE: 9.45am-11.10am Sky Sports F1
F1: Hungarian Grand Prix – Qualifying | Start: 13:00
LIVE: 12.00pm-2.35pm Sky Sports F1
Sunday 29th July
F1: Hungarian Grand Prix – RACE | Start: 13:00
LIVE: 11.30am-4.15pm Sky Sports F1
F1: Hungarian Grand Prix – Highlights
7.00pm-8.00pm Sky Sports F1
BBC TV will have free-to-air highlights of the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix on BBC One and BBC One HD.
Suzi Perry introduces all the action from the Hungaroring alongside David Coulthard, who will be on hand to provide analysis and discussion in the pits and paddock.
BBC One will broadcast tea-time extended highlights of the qualifying session on Saturday, May 25 at 5.15pm, with comprehensive race highlights the following day, also on BBC One, at 5.05pm.
Commentary on qualifying and the race comes from Ben Edwards and David Coulthard, with updates from the pit-lane by Tom Clarkson, Lee McKenzie will conduct interviews with the drivers and team personel and Gary Anderson will be on hand with the latest news on strategy.
McKenzie will also host the BBC’s preview programme Inside F1 on the BBC News Channel on Friday at 6.45pm and Saturday at 7.45pm.
The BBC Sport website will have live streaming of BBC One’s broadcasts, as well as additional video content including highlights of practice sessions, qualifying and the race, plus interviews and analysis.
All of the BBC’s TV coverage will be available to view shortly after transmission on BBC iPlayer.
BBC Radio 5 Live will have live audio commentary of every on-track session from the Nurburgring.
Saturday 27th JulyF1: Hungarian Grand Prix – Qualifying Highlights: 5.15pm-6.40pm BBC One Sunday 28th July F1: Hungarian Grand Prix – RACE Highlights: 5.05pm-6.35pm BBC One
