It is nearly time for the obligatory Formula 1 summer break for teams and drivers, but before then there's the Hungarian Grand Prix, the fourteenth round of the season.

The Hungaroring has hosted this race ever year since 1986, hence this year is its 40th anniversary. The track is demanding and technical, qualities compounded by the fact it is usually held in torrid mid-summer weather.

Situated just a few kilometres outside Budapest, the track is 4.381 kilometres in length, featuring a narrow, twisty layout without any real straights apart from the one that incorporates the start-finish line. That's why it is often compared to a karting track, but on a bigger scale. Therefore, it's very busy, with corners following one another relentlessly with the margin for error reduced to a minimum. There are two DRS zones, one on the main straight and the other on the run from turn 1 to turn 2 and these are the only real overtaking opportunities, but even here it is tricky, which means qualifying is the key moment of the weekend.

The circuit sets a stern test for drivers and cars in many ways. High air and track temperatures expected over the whole weekend, mean that thermal management is essential for the tyres, power unit and gearbox, the latter coming under a lot of stress with around 78 changes of gear per lap. Car balance can make the difference: a precise set-up combined with a good level of aero downforce is essential to stop the car sliding and wearing the tyres excessively, especially in the middle part of the race.

Fred Vasseur: In the last few races, we've made progress in terms of competitiveness, and in Belgium, thanks to a lot of hard work back in Maranello, we introduced an upgrade package that further improved our performance. Before the mandatory summer shutdown, we have one more race, the Hungarian Grand Prix, where we want to continue moving forward. It will be interesting to see how the updated SF-25 performs on a completely different track, twisty, with plenty of medium and low-speed corners. Charles and Lewis are both in good form, and the team is also performing well. We want to head into the break with another strong result.

Ferrari at the Hungarian GP

39 GP Contested
1986 Debut (S. Johansson 4th; M. Alboreto ret.)
7 (17.95%) Wins
8 (20.51%) Pole positions
9 (23.08%) Fastest laps
26 (22.22%) Podiums

Three questions to Federica Cimarosti, Aerodynamics Programme Integration.

The Hungaroring is known for its tight, twisty layout with very few high-speed sections. How does this influence the aerodynamic setup of the SF-25, and what kind of trade-offs are typically involved at a track with such characteristics?
Federica Cimarosti: The Hungaroring is one of the slowest tracks of the season. Its slow and medium-speed corners and very few straights have a significant influence on the aerodynamic setup of our car.
This is a high/max downforce race: the cars run larger rear wings and more aggressive front wing angles, aimed at maximising performance through the many corners.
The correct balance between straight-line speed and cornering performance is always a key point: at the Hungaroring the penalty of extra drag from the car set up is relatively small because the main straight is short and there are only a few flat-out sections. This allows the team to sacrifice top speed for more downforce, improving lap times by enabling higher cornering speeds and better traction out of slow corners.

Downforce also helps to protect the tyres, but an aggressive setup could lead to degradation over a stint, therefore mechanical grip and tyre management also come into play.

Hot track temperatures and short straights mean that cooling is a key concern in Budapest. How do you balance the need for sufficient cooling with the goal of minimizing aerodynamic drag in such demanding conditions? FC: This is another challenging trade-off to make between cooling requirements and aerodynamic efficiency, between reliability and performance.

The SF-25 includes various different cooling configurations by design, aimed to cover quite a wide range of cooling levels, always keeping the SF-25's power unit and brakes within safe limits, at the minimum possible aerodynamic cost (mainly driven by the drag increase induced by the high cooling setup).

Every level of cooling is achieved through a series of specific, modular components, both at the intake (sidepod inlets, brake cooling ducts) and at the outlet (louvres, engine cover openings, chimneys). Each of these elements can be adjusted according to operating conditions.

Finally, in Budapest the aerodynamic cost for the extra drag is less severe than in other races due to the lack of long straights, as top speed is less important.

Can you tell us a bit more about you? How did you join Ferrari and what do you like best about being part of the Scuderia?
FC: I joined Ferrari in 2006, after a few years with another F1 team, where I learned a lot, but ever since I was little my target was always Ferrari.

I started in Ferrari as a test engineer in the wind tunnel, and eventually became an Aerodynamic Team Leader. In the following years, I had two kids and I eventually joined the Aero Track Group, where I worked on brake cooling and wind tunnel tyre development. It was really exciting. Then, I moved onto a new challenge aimed at maximising the Aerodynamics Programme Integration, looking at the aero development from a different and new point of view.

Having the opportunity of challenging myself in an inspiring environment, with a diverse team, is really a great way of working. Team spirit is the key to fight for wins.

Hungarian Grand Prix - Facts & Figures

2. The number of cities that have been the capital of Hungary. Up to the 13th century, it was actually Ezstergom, on the Danube along the border with what is now known as Slovakia, to the north west of Budapest. There was a reason behind this status as it was where Stefano, the first ruler of Hungary was born and crowned. In 1241, the Mongol hordes invaded and King Bela IV had to escape to Buda which he made the capital, in the area where the Castle, the Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church now stand. However, it would take a long while, until 1873 in fact, before the city of Budapest came into being, when Buda, Pest and Obuda were united into one large city.

44. The number of letters in the longest word in the Hungarian language, which is megszentsegtelenithetetlensegeskedeseitekert, which translates roughly as "for your behaviour as if you were people who cannot be desecrated." There is a word with 67 letters, but it is not included in the official vocabulary: eltoredezettsegmentesitotlenittethetetlensegtelenitotlenkedhetnetek. It is more of a tongue twister than a real word and can be translated roughly as "you could pretend to be people who cannot be forced to undergo the deprivation of the state of being unfragmented." These are examples of the agglutinative nature of the Hungarian language, meaning suffixes are added to words to give them complex meanings.

80. The percentage of Hungary's subsoil which contains water. Although landlocked the country can rightfully claim to be called "the land of water" as it is ranked fifth in the world for the number of thermal springs, sitting in a list behind Japan, Iceland, Italy and France.

462. The number of points scored in the Hungarian Grand Prix by Scuderia Ferrari, the most of any team. The first of these came courtesy of a fourth place for Stefan Johansson in 1986, the first time the race was on the World Championship calendar. In second place is Red Bull Racing on 381, followed by McLaren on 378 and Mercedes on 334. Of the drivers, Lewis Hamilton has the most with 286, with Sebastian Vettel second on 170 and Fernando Alonso third on 143.

2008. The year in which the famous statue of the Fat Policeman, also known as "Uncle Karl" was unveiled in the market square at the crossroads of Oktober 6 Utka and Zrinyi Utka, near St. Stephen's Basilica. Local superstition has it that it is lucky to rub his belly, which is why that part of the bronze statue has a golden patina. Also, doing so, most importantly, grants you immunity against gaining weight, no matter how much Hungarian food you enjoy.