Setting the scene for Hungary

The Hungaroring is traditionally bathed in bright sunshine on Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, with drivers far more concerned about heat in the cockpit than the threat of rain. So paddock dwellers were amazed not only to have to put up with the odd sprinkling of rain on Friday, but at times have to take shelter from the downpours that soaked the track. A wet weekend in Budapest is suddenly looking like a distinct possibility.

Fortunately, the weather forecasts suggest that it will get drier throughout the event, which will please happy team personnel eagerly anticipating their mandatory August holiday. Only a few days ago the paddock was braving the chill winds of the Nurburgring, so the conclusion of this second leg of back-to-back grands prix can't come too soon for some.

But before that, there is a fascinating grand prix in prospect. Lewis Hamilton's unexpected victory at the Nurburgring has raised hopes that McLaren might again be in the mix this weekend. Hamilton talked down his chances, albeit not to the depths that he did on Friday in Germany when he point blanked ruled out any hope of pole position and went on to come within a tenth of a second of achieving it. He also explained his maximum attack philosophy.

"I'm pushing and pushing and pushing, and sometimes you have to break through a wall of caution," he explained on Thursday afternoon at the Hungaroring. Exactly where that wall of caution stands isn't clear, although it's probably safe to assume that the bricklayers' bill is pretty substantial at Woking when the 2008 world champion is in town.

His old team-mate Fernando Alonso has also talked about the need to take risks and reiterated his belief that Red Bull still has the strongest car, despite the Spaniard being top scorer over the past three races.

"First and second in Silverstone qualifying, first and third at the Nurburgring; still dominant," he said. And it's an opinion that most share.

Fortunately, Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel didn't want to get involved in this war of managing expectations. "Our target is not to finish third and fourth," he said. This left no room for doubt - Vettel is resolved to go into the August break with yet another victory to ensure that none of the old upstarts in his wake get any ideas of snatching the championship from him in the final eight races of the season. As such, expect a fired-up Vettel this weekend.

With the wounds of what some characterise as his disastrous race in Germany - as catastrophic as a fourth place finish can be - Vettel is not the only one still smarting. Paul di Resta is still profoundly unimpressed with Nick Heidfeld, who hasn't bothered to apologise for booting him into a spin on the opening lap at the Nurbugring.

Just don't menition Nick Heidfeld... © sutton-images.com

"You've got to [apologise when you make a mistake], haven't you?" said di Resta. "It's only right you do it, but whether they accept it or not is another thing. At least make the effort."

In a shock move, Heidfeld believed that he had no reason to apologise. "In Canada people thought he crashed into the back of my car, and rather than apologise, he blamed me," Heidfeld said. "So why should I go and apologise?"

Twice in 10 races these two have clashed so far this year, which could make for some drama in the midfield if the Force India and Renault find themselves disputing the same piece of asphalt again. It's not out of the question, especially given di Resta's penchant for overachieving in qualifying and Heidfeld's tendency to underperform. Both will likely be relieved to get to the end of the race without any further incidents, which pretty much goes for the whole field.

Half-term can't come soon enough for the teams and drivers of the class of 2011.