2006 Hungarian GP Technical Review

The script for the Hungarian Grand Prix usually includes: extremely hot weather; a dirty, dusty track that rubbers in over the weekend; and little chance for overtaking.

Well, the set-up books were thrown away for last weekend's running at the Hungaroring.

The weather started out cold, and for the first time ever, the race was wet. None of the teams had any data for these conditions, and the preparation for the race weekend was chosen for a hot race. As a result, tyres and set-up were not optimized, and the teams had a learning experience through the race as the track varied between wet and dry.

The Hungaroring circuit is very tight and twisty, with little rubber laid on the track, thus providing poor grip. Teams therefore focus on high downforce - and therefore aerodynamically inefficient - set-ups, as well as on soft mechanical set-ups and fairly soft tyres.

Only the usual high track temperatures prevent super-soft tyres being run, plus the high ambient temperatures force the teams to run even more cooling ducts, making the car less aerodynamically efficient. In many respects, the track is like a thermally enhanced Monaco set-up, and most teams brought to Hungary the aerodynamic add-ons used in Monaco.

Coming just a week after the German Grand Prix, the teams had no chance to test on track in between races. This hindered the seven team running without mass dampers for the second race in succession and also prevented any new developments being brought to this race. In fact, only one real visible development from Toyota was seen at this race.

The effect of the weather

In preparation for this race, teams tested at either Jerez or at a modified Paul Ricard circuit in hot weather conditions. This allowed the teams to match the tyres to the aero and mechanical set-up. As Europe has basked in unusually hot weather this summer, and since the Hungarian GP has always been hot, this seemed like ideal preparation.

However, the break in the heat wave arrived this weekend, and Friday's running on the green un-rubbered track was even less representative than it usually is. This hindered teams' ability to predict tyre choice for qualifying.

In fact, even if it wasn't raining before and during the race, teams were faced with tyres designed to cope with high track temperatures on a cold circuit. If the driver is unable to get enough heat into the tyres - which has been an issue for almost every team at some stage this year - then he suffers two effects.

Firstly, there is a lack of grip, as obviously if the tyre is not at its operating temperature then the rubber is less sticky and the driver feels less bite in the corners.

Secondly, there is graining. This is where the tyre turns tighter than the path of the car, through understeer. As the tyre slips in the corner, the edges of the grooves start to break up, sending bits of rubber over the main contact patch. This reduces the tyre's grip, as though it's running on ball bearings. Fortunately, the effect is reversible, but the driver has to suffer the effect for several laps.

But for the race, the rain did fall. Teams had to choose which type of tyre to run at the start. As the rain had actually stopped but more was soon predicted, dry weather tyres were out of the question. Intermediates or the heavier treaded wet tyres were the remaining choices.

Most teams opted for intermediates, as the track was not swamped enough to cool full treaded tyres. Modern intermediate tyres have some amazing qualities: they use a light tread pattern and soft compound. The tread uses large blocks, and although this provides less sills (the grooves formed in between the tread blocks) to clear water, the tyres still work well on damp surfaces and do not suffer the rapid wear that full wet tyres do on a drying track.

Towards the end of the race, the track was dry on the racing line through most corners, albeit wet off the line. This gave the teams the option to go for dry tyres for the last stint.

The risk with this strategy was that the dry tyres were designed for a hot track when in fact the track was much cooler; this risked the drivers running with tyres below their running temperature which could result in slower lap times than on worn intermediates.

Towards the end of the race, however, it was clear that the dry tyres were able to outrun intermediates without graining.

Mass dampers

After the confusion in Germany regarding the legality of mass dampers, the issue will now be up to the FIA's court of appeal. But the situation was made worse for the teams when, in the run-up to the Hungarian race, the governing body indicated that the mass damper system could be run until the appeal is heard, with no penalties applied retroactively. Unclear as to whether this is indeed the case, all teams erred on the side of caution and decided not run the device in Hungary.

A carbon fibre cover over the front of the Renault gearbox suggests the mass damper was fitted to the rear of the car © XPB/LAT (Click image to enlarge)

The FIA's position is that the device is not part of the suspension and acts to control the car's attitude to improve aerodynamics. Renault's response was to provide data that shows the system is more effective at improving the tyres' performance through a more consistent contact patch, than through any aerodynamic gains. Driver comments back this suggestion up, some drivers citing tyre/suspension behavior over bumps and under braking is much improved with the system fitted.

It has also been reported that teams were developing even more complex solutions, including mass dampers with heavier weights, units fitted at the rear of the car, and lateral mass dampers (the current ones work vertically).

Again, Renault are believed to be the team with a system at the rear of the car. It is believed the system at the rear is less effective - the pitching of the rear-end while accelerating and under braking has a marked effect on both tyre grip and the aerodynamics.

As with any area of an F1 car, space is limited and there are only two places where the system could be seated within the gearbox - at the front above the clutch, or in between the gears and differential.

Renault's gear casing has voids that could make either location possible. However, the gear casing - when viewed at the Bahrain GP - has a carbon fibre cover hiding something above the clutch. The previous year's casing had this area cast as part of the case, so I would guess the system is fitted in this area.

The wheel nut (red) is retained by four pins, which the mechanic operates via the lever (yellow) © Scarborough (Click image to enlarge)

Renault

Again running with the German bi-plane wing, Renault also revived the Monaco sidepod winglets, with larger slotted endplates.

Fernando Alonso's retirement in the race was caused by an error when changing the right rear wheel. The wheel is retained by a single large nut (red). This is prevented from loosening by four pins (yellow) which are retracted by the mechanic/wheel gun pushing in the handle (yellow).

After the wheel has been changed, the handle is pulled out and the mechanic raises his hand to confirm his wheel change is completed. In Renault's pitstop, the pins were not retracted before the nut was hammered off by the wheel gun, and this damaged them.

Thus, the mechanic did his usual process of pulling the handle out after the wheel change, unaware the pins were damaged. Then the nut loosened while the car went down the pitlane, Alonso felt a problem as he accelerated away at the pitlane exit, and something flew out of the wheel off the car (presumably the wheel nut).

At this stage, what Alonso would have felt was a lack of drivability and looseness from the right rear; this is what led him to believe the driveshaft had broken. However, images of the damaged car after it had gone off on his out-lap showed the driveshaft appearing to be intact.

A revised shoulder wing compliments the new bargeboards run in Germany © Scarborough (Click image to enlarge)

Toyota

As the only team with a visible development, Toyota had a new shoulder wing endplate to supplement the new bargeboards run in Germany. The plate is shorter, with more vertical leading edge and cut out at the trailing edge.

McLaren

McLaren were seen trying several different iterations of their front wing in Hungary, and the drivers' choice was eventually split as to which was better.

McLaren have two main wing formats: the original three-element swoopy design, and the later two-element angled design. These have been run with both types of endplates - one with vertical leading edges, and one with curved edges.

With four combinations in the race, Kimi Raikkonen chose the swoopy wing with curved endplates, while Pedro de la Rosa selected the opposite.