F1 team preview: Mercedes have a lot of work to do in Hungary

Mercedes F1

Preparing for a race is never easy in Formula 1 and it’s even harder if a team is burdened with extra work and is running out of time. Mercedes will be facing this trouble this weekend in the run up to the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The race at Hungaroring will see Pirelli’s new P Zero tyres making its debut. Mercedes is at a disadvantage even before the start since it will get to test the new tyres only on Friday whereas the other teams tested the same in the Young Driver Test in Silverstone, an event where Mercedes were no allowed to take part in.

Mercedes, therefore, will have to try and collect as much data as possible from the free practice sessions on Friday. Realistically speaking, Mercedes will have to do just in one day what other teams did in three days as well as concentrate on the practice, something which is a technically daunting task.

Another area of concern for Ross Brawn’s outfit is the behaviour of the W04, their 2013 cars. The car has already earned the reputation of being harsh on the tyres and Mercedes will have to come up with a set up that will make the car go easier on the new tyres.

The Pirelli tyres have not been up to the mark no doubt, but the w04′s are also partly responsible for Mercedes’ tyre troubles. With Pirelli announcing the use of the soft and the medium compound tyres for the race on Sunday, Mercedes, who are yet to test those tyres have to work overtime to ensure the problem does not repeat with the new P Zero tyres.

With temperature expected to reach 36 degree Celsius on Sunday and Hungaroring being the slowest permanent track on the calendar, preserving tyres will be a major challenge.

The Hungaroring track is generally dusty during the practice sessions since the track is not often used in other motorsport events. The track pose a big challenge to the mechanical grip of the car making overtaking difficult. The introduction of an additional DRS zone may result in more overtakings than last season but overall, the track remains challenging.

Doing well in the qualifying has been the key in Hungaroring and considering the fact that Mercedes have done quite well in qualifying this season, they will again be in the hunt for the pole.

Lewis Hamilton is the only driver to have won from pole in Hungary in the last eight years, winning twice from pole, including the last edition. Having won three times in Hungary, Hungaroring has been a happy hunting ground for Hamilton and he knows exactly what to expect on Sunday. Pulling off another win will bring in a breath of fresh air both for Hamilton and Mercedes, after having gone through disappointments and scandals.

Nico Rosberg has never won in Hungaroring but given his talent, he cannot be easily ruled out. Rosberg, who outperformed seven time world champion Michael Schumacher when the latter returned to F1 has shown great promise this year and is expected to do well on Sunday even if not a win.

A win in the final race before the summer break will not only motivate Mercedes to come back stronger for the next half of the season, but also provide a fresh challenge to the ever dominating Red Bull. Eventually, it will all come down to the 70 laps on Sunday.