Best Time to Win Hungary : Red Bull
Daniel Ricciardo is adamant that he doesn’t believe in luck, but Budapest is Red Bull’s best chance since Monaco of beating Mercedes and the Australian is ready to go all-out to be the one to snatch the honours after weeks of being upstaged by upstart new team mate Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman won on his debut with the team in Spain, and though he crashed three times in Monaco he bounced back to become the team’s more successful driver in recent races.
Ricciardo, meanwhile, has struggled to match his partner’s pace and was out-qualified by him for the first time at Silverstone before losing crucial time in the race under the early Virtual Safety Car following Pascal Wehrlein’s departure. He finished only fourth, as Verstappen took second behind Lewis Hamilton after Nico Rosberg’s penalty dropped him a place.
“I would say things haven’t really gone in my favour of late,” Ricciardo says,” but I don’t believe in luck. Hopefully, coming to Budapest we can have a better one.”
After their strong performance on a super-quick track such as Silverstone, Red Bull firmly believe they have turned a corner, and expect to be very fast on a maximum-downforce track this weekend, which should suit the RB12 down to the ground. Ricciardo would like nothing better than to repeat his triumph here two years ago, and get the win that eluded him through no fault of his own in Monaco.
"Daniel is dealing with it very well," team boss Christian Horner says of the Australian’s recent ill fortune. "He's going to have a couple of Sundays come up where everything will fall his way, I'm sure. It's swings and roundabouts. He’s a class driver, and has demonstrated already this year that he is at the top of his game.”
Horner also stresses that confidence within the team is growing, because everyone can see that the RB12 is improving. A win here would be another huge boost.
Mercedes need a “flawless” weekend
Underscoring Red Bull’s confidence ahead of this race, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says that the Silver Arrows need a perfect weekend in order to win at the Hungaroring, something they have failed to do thus far in the turbo-hybrid formula, though Lewis Hamilton did take the 2013 race.
“This circuit has not been kind to us over the past two years and it plays to the strengths of our rivals,” Wolff says. “The Red Bull, for example, is a car that functions well where high drag isn't penalised as much as at other types of circuit. So, in wet conditions and at low-speed circuits such as the Hungaroring, they are a major threat. We will need to be flawless to come out on top at this track.”
Hamilton, however, says he is still buzzing after winning on his home turf, “and looking forward to carrying those positive vibes into the next race weekend. Ever since the low of Barcelona I've been able to cultivate this really strong mental attitude and I'm really feeling that fire inside me right now.
“Of course, I have good days and bad days, like everyone else. But whatever the case, I'm able to turn negatives into positives when it counts. I'm feeling fresh, feeling powerful and feeling confident heading to Hungary. It's a track that for some reason has always suited my style and I have incredible support there, so I can't wait to get to out on track. The past couple of years I haven't had the smoothest weekends in Budapest, of course. But I know I've got the pace, so I'm gunning to turn that around this time.”
Nico Rosberg, now just a point ahead of his team mate where once he had a 43-point advantage, says after his Silverstone penalty: “It was disappointing to lose a hard-fought and deserved second position in such a way - but we have accepted the decision and now I have to look forward with positivity. I am leading the world championship coming up to the halfway point of the season and there's still a long way to go. The battle is on with Lewis and I'm feeling great in myself and great in the car, so bring it on!”
It's worth noting, by the way, that the Hungarian Grand Prix is the only race Mercedes haven't won in the turbo-hybrid era.
