Sauber are hoping that they will find a bit more grip in Budapest this weekend after struggling for pace in a difficult weekend at a chilly German Grand Prix.
Kamui Kobayashi, who still managed to salvage two points at the Nürburgring, is looking forward to returning to the Hungary.
“I have good memories of Budapest from last year,” he said. “I started from 23rd on the grid and was able to overtake quite a few competitors and end up ninth. It was really a brilliant race.
“It's a very technical track with mainly medium speed and slow corners. The straight is quite short, therefore in the past it was very difficult to overtake, but this year we have the DRS which will help us to put on a more exciting race for the fans. Often the temperatures in Budapest are very high, so tyre management will be crucial and tricky. But so far this season our car has been quite kind to its tyres, so we should be in a strong position to score a good result.”
Sergio Perez, by contrast, had a difficult race at Budapest last year in a GP2 car, but does like the circuit. “To me the Hungaroring is a very good, technical and slow circuit,” said the Mexican. “Traction and braking stability are very important. It is physically pretty demanding, and it has a really nice atmosphere. I believe it should be a good track for us, and I definitely want to score points there before the summer break.
“Last year I was fighting for the GP2 championship at the Hungaroring, and I must admit it wasn’t such a good weekend. I finished third in the first race, but crashed in the second. Off the track I also like the city a lot, as it is a very nice and enjoyable place to be.”
Sauber technical director James Key expects that the team could go well in Hungary, particularly if it is warm next weekend: “We will have the same configuration of car as at the Nürburgring because it's only one week later, but we feel it's probably a circuit where the car could work well with the right conditions, and we are looking forward to going there.”
