In the last race before the summer break, Hungary proved to be challenging for the team, who will aim to come back re-energised for Zandvoort next month

Returning to the scene of our memorable win in 2021, the Hungaroring holds many happy memories for the team and it is always one of our favourite places to race. Hot on the heels of Spa, it was straight to Hungary for round 11 of this year’s World Championship, which began with a memorable event in the capital, Budapest.

Last Thursday evening, Pierre and Franco met fans at a special BWT team party at Time Out Market. A celebration featuring DJ sets, summer vibes and a show car was an extremely popular event, with both drivers making a balcony appearance in front of the huge crowd.

Aron gets first A526 outing

Reserve Driver Paul Aron has already made two practice appearances so far this year, with Audi in Spain and Austria, but this was his first opportunity to drive the A526. The 22-year-old took over Franco’s car for FP1, while Franco was an interested spectator in the garage.

However, Friday proved to be one of the most challenging days of the season for the entire field, as a combination of, a dusty track surface, and gusty winds made it difficult for drivers to establish a baseline setup.

Paul was one of a number of drivers to suffer a big lock-up going into Turn 1, as well as producing a spectacular sideways save after running wide onto the dust at the final corner. He completed 28 laps in total, equivalent to 123km.

“Looking at my session, and the day as a whole, it’s been one of the most difficult days all year on track for all the drivers and teams,” said Paul. “The conditions were really hard and one we had to quickly adjust to. It was my first time in the A526, and it was fun to drive and be behind the wheel once again.”

Conditions remain challenging

The afternoon’s FP2 session continued in a similar vein to the morning. The Hungaroring is always grip-limited at the start of an F1 weekend, but the dry conditions made the track particularly susceptible to dust this year, especially with the wind gusting across the Valley of the Three Springs.

Franco didn’t have the benefit of running in FP1 and was caught out by the wind as he entered the final corner on a push lap. He caused a red flag after losing the rear of the car entering Turn 14, which has been renamed by the Hungaroring organisers as ‘Szisz’ after the winner of the first-ever Grand Prix in 1906 at the wheel of a Renault.

“It was a pretty short day for us, but with the cars this year and the lower downforce, they are more tricky to drive. At a track like this, with very low grip, it is quite difficult,” said Franco. “Not a good day and not an ideal start to the weekend, but we will try and put the car in a better window for tomorrow.”

More Formula 2 success

Away from the main action, there was more success for Alpine Academy members in the supporting Formula 2 races at the Hungaroring. The weekend started strongly when Kush Maini topped the times in qualifying to secure pole position for Sunday’s Feature Race.

Meanwhile, in Saturday’s Sprint, Gabriele Mini started from the front row of the grid and managed to keep his closest championship rival behind him during the opening phase of the race. With the high temperatures, tyre management was a key feature of the weekend, and Gabriele bided his time before making a move for the lead. He did so on lap 17 and held on to claim his second victory of the year.

Tyre conservation again played an important role in Sunday morning’s Feature Race and, from pole position, Kush led from the start. Despite losing a place in the pit stop sequence, which denied him victory, it was still an excellent result as he secured another podium with P2 at the flag, along with the fastest lap of the race.

Leaving it late in Qualifying

One of the secrets to a good lap at a circuit that is notoriously dirty is timing it for the final moments of the session, when the track surface has been cleaned up by the cars circulating beforehand.

After more mileage and data gathering in FP3 — with Franco out first to catch up on the track time missed on Friday — that late-run tactic was used to good effect in qualifying. At the end of Q1, Pierre was in the drop zone but started his final lap with just seconds remaining on the clock. It paid off as both he and Franco safely progressed to Q2.

However, given the outright one-lap pace shown on Friday and Saturday morning, reaching Q3 always looked likely to be more difficult. In the end, Pierre produced a lap that was just two-tenths shy of the top 10, making P12 and P13 our grid spots for Sunday.

One last push before the summer

With Franco likening his running to that of a Sprint weekend because of his lack of mileage, race day was always going to be an uphill battle, especially at a circuit where overtaking is difficult.

Starting on the mediums from P13 and switching to new hards on laps 15 and 37, Franco was unable to find the balance or grip needed to move forward, and finished 15th. Franco remains in Budapest to take part in the Pirelli tyre test before heading off for his summer break.

For Pierre, he finished where he started and followed a similar strategy, pitting for new hards on laps 16 and 39. A late Virtual Safety Car prompted a call to try something different, fitting a fresh set of softs for the final stint, but it ultimately proved to no avail.

There is now a short break before a big push from everyone at the team in the second half of the season.

“We know that developments and upgrades are coming very soon,” said Flavio Briatore. “And we need to make big jumps that we know we’re capable of. We need to use this feeling as added motivation at Enstone to turn things around. There’s still half of the season left and what matters most is where we finish at the final race.”