Pierre Gasly feels the Hungaroring ‘seems to work well for me’ after having a lot of success at the track in junior formulae, and he cannot wait to see what it will be like in a modern day Formula 1 car for the first time this weekend.
The Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda driver says it is important to get into a good rhythm at the circuit, with the Hungaroring possessing all kinds of corners, and he feels it should be ‘pure pleasure’ to drive there in his STR13.
“I won there in 2013 in Renault 2.0 litre, I was second in 2014 in 3.5, second in 2015 in GP2 and first, again in GP2, in 2016, so it’s a track that seems to work well for me,” said Gasly. “It’s one of my favourite tracks because it’s very technical, which is something I like.
“It’s important to get into a good flowing rhythm and on a track with so few straight sections, the driver can really make the difference. With one corner leading straight into another, it’s important to get the flow working, because if you make a mistake at one turn, it has a big impact on the following ones.
“However, rather like Monaco, overtaking here complicated, therefore qualifying is even more important than usual. In terms of pure driving though, I love it, as there are all sorts of corner types: slow, medium and fast, long corners, heavy braking ones, so it has a bit of everything.
“Given that I really like it, I can’t wait to find out what it will be like in an F1 car. I reckon it will be a pure pleasure!”
Gasly feels well prepared for the hot conditions he is likely to face this weekend, and he feels it will be important to give the team a boost to head into the summer break, which he hopes to provide by scoring a top ten finish for only the third time in 2018.
“I’m not bothered about the fact it is going to be extremely hot this weekend, as I am in good shape, even though it has been a long and tough season so far,” said the Frenchman. “I’m well prepared for the conditions and I hope we will be able to get a good result to take with us into the summer break.
“It would be important psychologically for the entire team to pick up some points and we will all be working very hard to achieve that.”
Gasly says the summer break, which follows the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend and two-day test next week, is coming at a good time for everyone after six races in eight weeks, and it will give everyone the time to down tools and relax.
“I love racing, but I think the break will be a good thing, because everyone is quite tired and needs some time at home with the family,” he said. “It’s the perfect moment to cut the season in half and I will be going on holiday with my friends and those that are close to me.
“But before that, let’s give it everything in Budapest!”
