#F1Chat Preview – the Hungarian Grand Prix

Formula One may be heading off on its summer break, but #F1Chat is going nowhere from now until the end of August, and while we have to begin 5 weeks of no F1, there’s no better way to do it than by reviewing the Hungarian Grand Prix. It may have lacked in overtaking, but it was still a great race for some, so here’s what’s coming up on this week’s #F1Chat…

What did you think of the race? It lacked in overtaking, but was made exciting by strategy choices, tyre management and pitstops. With different strategy calls and being able to manage the tyres the key to a successful race, who impressed you the most – who was your driver of the day?

Lotus clearly had the fastest car, but overtaking was difficult, even in the DRS zone, and both Grosjean and Raikkonen failed to even be able to attempt a move on Hamilton for the lead. What do you think it is about the Hungaroring that makes passing so difficult? What was it about McLaren’s lack of race pace compared to Lotus’, especially when they had looked like the team to beat in practice and qualifying?

Early in the race, McLaren told Button they needed to switch to plan B, the 3-stop strategy – Red Bull made the same call later on in the race and both teams lost out, with Button losing a potential podium, and Webber losing 5th. What did you make of these calls? And does this mean Button’s title hopes are now over?

Maldonado was in trouble with the stewards again for an incident involving di Resta, and he served a drive-through penalty – what did you make of this and what are your thoughts on Maldonado and his driving style?

Let’s go back to the start of the race. An aborted start saw Michael Schumacher switch off his engine because he was worried it would overheat and he was then forced to start from the pit lane as the field completed a second formation lap – what did you make of this?

What did you make of the races of championship leaders Alonso and Webber – they didn’t have the pace to challenge McLaren or Lotus this weekend? Is this a sign of things to come in Belgium, or is it too early to tell with the summer break?

Both Felipe Massa and Bruno Senna are under pressure to keep their seats for 2013 at Ferrari and Williams, but what did you make of their races?

A third win in 2012 for McLaren puts them in a positive position ahead of the summer break, knowing their Germany upgrades are working well. What can we expect from the front-running teams when we head into the second half of the season?

Let’s discuss Red Bull and the conspiracies that have surrounded the team in the past couple of races. They were pulled up for engine mapping in Germany, and ahead of qualifying in Hungary they were pulled up on a switch that reportedly adjusted ride height. What do you make of these accusations of cheating? Is it getting a bit tedious?

Join us tomorrow at the usual time of 4pm Eastern US, 9pm UK, using the #F1Chat hashtag to answer the questions – as always, we hope to see you all there!