Hungarian Grand Prix Preview- The title race starts now

After a long summer break we head to Budapest for what could be one of the most crucial rounds of the championship so far. Pirelli are bringing their new revised tyres which could arguably shake up the field entirely and we will find out how badly Mercedes suffer after missing the Young Drivers Test.

  This combination means that midfield teams such as Williams and Force India have a real shot of achieving a big result. 

Pirelli's lifeline

But the main question on everyone's lips is how are the revised tyres going to hold up around the Hungaroring. The circuit is quite slow and has plenty of tight corners, partner that with temperatures which are expected to soar on the track it means that the tyres are going to be put under a lot of stress. Ten of the corners at the circuit where McLaren have had such a presence over the past 10 years are taken at under 155/KPH and the cars require the same downforce level as a circuit like Monaco. The perfect platform to become a hero or a villain. Pirelli have the chance to prove a lot of critics wrong this weekend but they have to get this right. They have re added the Kevlar belts seen at the Nurburgring which were also used in 2012 but can they hold on? Everyone makes mistakes but when there are such a spread of them in such a short space of time eventually resulting in the safety of the driver being at risk then drastic measures have to be taken. Pirelli need a race with no complaints and no incidents involving a tyre fault or this could well be the beginning of the end for them.

Mercedes rue missed opportunity

Every formula one team took to Silverstone recently for the Young Drivers Test, well every team except Mercedes that is. Normally it's what it says on the tin. A test...for young drivers. But the 2013 test was a little different as teams were Able to test Pirelli's new tyres ahead of the Grand Prix this weekend. This was absolutely crucial as the teams had the chance to collect enough data and statistics to make Oxford university jealous. Longevity, temperatures, potential strategies, how they run with different downforce levels or fuel loads amongst many more factors that could come into play this weekend. Mercedes missed their chance due to the secret test which took place earlier in the season. Because of this and because of how much data the teams would have collected it means that Friday practice is going to be like getting your homework done at 9AM the morning it's due when your lesson is in 20 minutes. It will be a frantic rush to catch up and make up all of the ground lost. We have no way of knowing how much ground the rest of the field have gained on the team who sit second in the constructors standings until qualifying where the silver arrows always seem to shine. Only time will tell if they are going to struggle around the demanding Hungaroring or if Ross Brawn is going to pull a bunny out of his hat. 

Team to watch

Whilst they have not had the easiest or strongest start to the season, McLaren have always shone at this circuit taking a total of eleven victories with six of those being in the past eight years. Perhaps the Young Drivers Test will have been the catalyst needed to get their season pointing in the right direction. Maybe not a podium place but expect to see a strong presence in qualifying and maybe even a double points finish during the race.

Driver to watch

The circuit has always been one that Finnish drivers seem to excel at. Heikki took his only Formula One Victory there back in 2008 and Hakkinen also took two wins at the Grand Prix. Raikkonen has not won there since 2005 but last year took second place with Romain also on the podium in third. The two races previous to that when he was driving a Ferrari, the Iceman also came second and third. He will be chasing victory number 21 this weekend and the Lotus could be the key to unlock the door that victory sits behind.

Top 5 prediction

Fernando Alonso

Kimi Raikkonen

Sebastian Vettel

Felipe Massa

Paul Di Resta

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The Jenkins Judgement- Endurance Racing

14th April 2013, the day that my eyes were opened properly to a brand new form of Motorsport. Now like many motorsport fans I tune in to Le Mans when possible but was never a die hard endurance racing fan. I preferred the shorter sprint races like you see in the BTCC or Formula 3. But Simraceway had organised for me to go up to Silverstone for the opening round of the World Endurance Championship. 

  I was extremely excited as not only would this be my first time at the home of British Motorsport but I was also able to meet the Radio Le Mans team and one of my commentary inspirations John Hindhaugh along with Jonny Palmer who I had previously worked with on the BARC finals at Thruxton. This was an amazing experience as I was allowed inside the booth whilst the live broadcast was taking place, seeing just how much work goes into it.

Me interviewing Anthony Davidson at Silverstone

That accompanied with the chance to conduct an interview with Anthony Davidson meant that this was one of the best weekends I had ever had. But on to the racing.

I don't think anything quite matched the adrenaline and tension of seeing over 30 cars slowly leave their grid slots to begin the formation lap. 6 hours of hard and strategic racing were about to get underway and I couldn't wait. The roar of the crowd and the silence of the mechanics as they nervously await the start of the race and hearing the roar of the engines slowly get louder as the cars circulated their way to the Club chicane. This is the World Endurance Championship.The sound was just remarkable as the green flag flew and the four categories of sports cars separated out and began their individual race.

One factor that makes these races so tense is traffic. A term used frequently in Formula One to describe slower cars more than a lap down who have to yield to the leaders. The World Endurance Championship makes Formula One look like a lonely country road when it comes to traffic. After just four laps or so the LMP1's were already navigating their way past the GTE-AM's and it was just incredible. With the class still fiercely competing and fighting for positions the LMP1 drivers had to be so nimble when overtaking.

The sheer distance of the event is also what makes it stand out. 6 hours of racing means that you get such a different driving style to what you would perhaps see in Formula One or a similar open wheel series. It's very close and competitive but also conservative. You don't see drivers going for moves unless they are absolutely sure they can make it stick.

Strategy is also crucial when it comes to the WEC. Tires that can last more than one stint with a single driver provide a major advantage to the team that equips them. However with each driver having a different driving style and attacking corners in sometimes a completely unique way it truly is a gamble to make these tires

last if the second driver is on worn tires. They could give at any moment and punctures are seen quite often. Another factor which makes endurance racing truly spectacular to watch.

It's no wonder that car manufacturers such as Audi take such pride in their victories throughout the several endurance series they compete in and of course multiple Le Mans wins. Where a team finish is as much down to the driver as it is to the car. If you are pushing a car to its absolute limits for 6 hours with a few pit stop breaks it needs to be the best it can be. If a car can be better than every other competing manufacturer out there and avoid mechanical problems then it truly deserves its spot at the top of the podium. "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" is an old saying that certainly backs up this point as Audi have had Mr McNish voice a few adverts regarding new technology in their road cars.

Another reason why I enjoyed it so much is down to the fact that I took a shine to the LMP1 team Rebellion Racing. Not only did the car sound so incredible it sent chills down my spine every time it accelerated down the main straight but it is a pure underdog team. It isn't a manufacturer like Audi or Toyota they are a privateer team. Meaning that they don't have the funds or technology to compete with the Manufacturer teams.

Bearing that in mind, they were only a couple of seconds off of the pace that the two leading LMP1 teams were setting which is a remarkable feat. Both cars finished behind one another and achieved the same result at the 6 hours of Spa this past weekend with the gap if anything a little closer to the big boys. As many of you will know I am a massive Lotus F1 fan and have been since a young age (although back then it was because Benneton had a nice livery) so I have followed them through all of the highs and lows. The Lotus powered Lola counterpart in the WEC could be another reason as to why I like them. The livery is almost identical and one of their drivers is German Ex-F1 star Nick Heidfeld who ironically used to drive for Lotus.

The team also have a “big announcement” to make that has been delayed. Now this could be anything from a new driver to a car upgrade or something as simple as Gary the mechanic is celebrating his 32^nd birthday, who knows!

Needless to say I was very impressed with the World Endurance Championship and everything about it. It takes all of the emotion and excitement from the shorter races and adds factors like unpredictable weather which could turn a race upside down, the sense of despair when a mechanical breakdown occurs or when your favourite driver spins into the gravel. Not to mention the tension of not knowing what is going to happen as the law of physics take their toll on some of the greatest sports cars this generation.

Not only that but to seal the deal, a 6 hour race came down to the final few laps with Allan McNish storming to victory in his Audi. The British fans went crazy and it really was an amazing feeling to be part of such a passionate fanbase on an occasion that truly deserved to be celebrated.

 I was very impressed with the opening two rounds of the World Endurance Championship and really cannot wait for the 24 Hours Of Le Mans. If you haven't watched an endurance race yet due not having the time or being skeptical

I would highly recommend you to do so, you will not be disappointed.

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