“It is always a great pleasure to come to Hungary,” enthused the 27-year-old, whose Nürburgring jinx struck again almost two weeks ago as a likely victory slipped through his hands for the third time in five years. “Very often the race here in Hungary has been nicknamed the ‘Finnish Grand Prix’. Many of my fellow Finns fill the grandstands here at the Hungaroring, and it is really nice to see so many white flags with the blue cross in the wind. This time we will see them together with the red flags of
Ferrari. Maybe the track is not one of the most fascinating ones, but it is really challenging and it’s good to know that after this race we’ll have a short holiday break.
“I have already won this race once. It’s very hot here and the race is physically demanding. I archived the European Grand Prix already. What is for sure is that I will not come to Hungary as someone defeated.
“Everybody says
McLaren has to be stronger than us here, but I don’t think that will be the case. We have taken a big step forward since Monaco and it will be really interesting to see how competitive we are over the weekend. The Hungaroring is very slow and winding, so the two most important things are the right angle entry into the corners and the traction.
“Obviously it is very important to stay ahead in qualifying and if possible also stay clear of the dirty side of the track. Looking at the races this season you can see that starting on the clean side of the track is very important at the start.”
The Finn is well aware that – now some 18 points adrift in the drivers’ standings following his Nürburgring retirement – there is only one way in which he can claw his way back into the championship hunt over the remaining seven grands prix.
