Three weeks ago, Felix Rosenqvist finally bounced back from his problematic start to the FIA Formula 3 European Championship season in the most spectacular of ways, as he stormed to victory in the prestigious Grand Prix de Pau street race in southern France. This weekend sees the F3 fraternity set camp at Budapest’s Hungaroring – and with Rosenqvist having topped the official pre-season test at the Hungarian Grand Prix venue, the Mücke Motorsport man is eager to return to action as he bids to improve his position in the overall standings.
Flashback: Grand Prix de Pau (Round 3)
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- Felix Rosenqvist wins 2014 Grand Prix de Pau
- Video: Felix on winning the 73rd Grand Prix de Pau
- Gallery: first 2014 triumph in pictures
- AUTOSPORT: Felix Rosenqvist cruises to victory at Pau
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LAYOUT
Length: 4.381 km
Opened: 1986
Lap record, F3: no previous race staged
2013 results (Felix): no race staged
Race duration: 35 minutes
One of the slowest and most technical circuits on the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship calendar. The Hungaroring requires maximum downforce configurations, as the almost complete absence of straights means top speed holds only a negligible effect on lap time.
The layout is dominated by sequences where one corner bleeds into another, which puts the cars’ change-of-direction abilities under great demands. Consistent handling as the car sweeps from left to right – and back again – is of imperial importance. Another factor to take into consideration is tyre degradation, which is expected to be more severe at the Hungaroring than anywhere else this season.
The tight nature of the circuit – which is often referred to as “Monaco without the barriers” – means overtaking is hard to conduct, making qualifying a key to success.
FELIX’S PERSPECTIVE:
“I’m going to Budapest with great anticipation – this weekend will be a very important one for us. Although we managed to win the Grand Prix at Pau, we still aren’t where we need to be with some aspects of our performance – and the Hungaroring is a much greater test for the chassis. A street venue like Pau is all about building your confidence and trusting the mechanical grip of the car, while a more traditional circuit places some very different demands on things such as aerodynamics – which means this weekend is going to be more representative in terms of the progress we’ve actually made since Hockenheim. I’m optimistic about our prospects, however, and I topped the pre-season test at the Hungaroring earlier this year, so hopefully it will be a good weekend for us.”
TIME TABLE
All times local (GMT+02:00)
Friday 30 May
Free Practice 1: 12.45 (40 minutes)
Free Practice 2: 13.30 (40 minutes)
Qualifying 1: 17.35 (20 minutes)
Saturday 31 May
Race 1: 11.10 (35 minutes)
Qualifying 2: 16.25 (20 minutes)
Sunday 1 June
Race 2: 10.50 (35 minutes)
Race 3: 16.50 (35 minutes)
HOW IT WORKS
Each round of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship is made up of three races, all of which are of equal length (35 minutes) and importance for the outcome in the title chase. The points structure mirrors that in use in Formula 1, running to the 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 system.
The grid for all three races is set in the two qualifying sessions. For Race 1, the starting order is established by the outright results of Qualifying 1, while the subsequent second qualifying session forms the grid for Race 2. For Race 3, the grid will be based on each driver’s second-fastest lap in Qualifying 2.
CALENDAR
The full 2014 calendar can be viewed here.
ENTRY LIST
FIA Formula 3 European Championship 2014 – teams and drivers
HOW TO FOLLOW FELIX THIS WEEKEND
WEBSITE
As always, www.felixracing.se will be fully updated throughout the weekend, with reports from each of the sessions that take place. The website is the central hub of information for everything that goes on both on and off the track, and will also feature other relevant news, pictures and videos.
TV
All three races at the event will be streamed LIVE at www.fiaf3europe.com, with a link set to appear in the slider field at the top of the www.felixracing.se start page. In addition to the real-time broadcasts, a new-for-2014 agreement will also see Eurosport produce a magazine-style wrap-up show to be aired on the Tuesday following each round.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
The interaction with fans and followers will principally involve Felix Racing’s official Facebook Fan Page, where supporters can discuss all the goings-on and post potential questions to Felix. Tweets will also be forthcoming through Felix’s own Twitter account (@FRosenqvist).