Preseason Race: Hungary - Hungaroring (14SEP17 @ 9:00pm EDT)

[AaronWebb85]

Pre-Race Interview
1) Welcome to the first PRL preseason race at Hungary.  How do you like this track?
2) How did your trial runs go last week?  What did you learn from that experience?
3) Rumors are Carlos Sainz will be moving to Renault and STR will have Honda engines for next season while McLaren switches to Renault Power.  This is a lot to take in, but what are your opinions of this?

Lap Guide Video:
[youtube]nuQ13gEFMg4[/youtube]

Time Chart:
Alien 1:17.0   (top 50)
Fast  1:17.5   (top 250)
Good  1:18.0  (top 500)
Comp  1:18.7 (top 1000)

 

[nickthequick]

Pre-race interview is up!!

 

[nickthequick]

Added lap guide and time chat to the original post. Comp means competitive time so that should give you some kind of benchmark so you can estimate how much more practice you need to do.

 

[Lance Stroll]

1) Welcome to the first PRL preseason race at Hungary.  How do you like this track?
   
I don't really like this track. It must have something to do with the fact that I rock in sectors 1 and 3 and loosing everything in sector 2. I will probably spin in turn 5 and 9...

2) How did your trial runs go last week?  What did you learn from that experience?

I liked that event. It was well organize and the enthusiasm of the drivers the couple of days before the trial was fun. My performance was not the best but I am sure everybody has they're share of curbs, spins and walls so in the circumstances I am pretty happy with the result. However, you all probably remember when I said in the interview 3 weeks ago  that I was confident of fighting in the top 5 for the next season. After seeing so many drivers  with the same pace as I have I know now that I will have to battle very hard to get and stay in the top 5 but it will be great battling for it.

3) Rumors are Carlos Sainz will be moving to Renault and STR will have Honda engines for next season while McLaren switches to Renault Power.  This is a lot to take in, but what are your opinions of this?

This is such big moves and I hope it will pay off for every constructors. For McLaren it is not a big risque cause I don't think it can't get any worst for them but It is a big gamble for STR unless Honda improve a lot in the winter.

 

[Bemoore]

Pre-Race Interview
1) Welcome to the first PRL preseason race at Hungary.  How do you like this track?

 Hungary is a funny track for me.  I don't actually like the track very much, but I do usually run pretty fast here.  It is a very busy track with little to no straights, grip is key for the curves throughout.  Passing is near impossible so it will be a good test to see how clean everyone runs.  

2) How did your trial runs go last week?  What did you learn from that experience?

The trial runs were very fun.  This was the first time I played in an online game for F1 2017.  At Monza I panicked a bit because I didn't know what button to push to take off the pit limiter.  In Britain I put the wrong set-up on and was forced to pit after the first lap.  Finally at Singapore I spun and knocked my wing off on the first hot lap.  Overall, I think I did pretty good considering the challenges I faced along the way.  Short qualifying is very fast in this game and it will be a challenge for me to qualify high up in the races.

3) Rumors are Carlos Sainz will be moving to Renault and STR will have Honda engines for next season while McLaren switches to Renault Power.  This is a lot to take in, but what are your opinions of this?

I think it will be only a good thing for McLaren to move away from the Honda engine.  I do hope that Honda finds a way to be faster because more engines is always better for me personally.  Sainz seems to be pretty fast so hopefully moving to Renault will be a good move for him.  I don't foresee good things to any team moving to a Honda engine at this point.

 

[AJccentric]

1. I'm not a very big fan on racing here. That's probably because I'm not very good here though.

2. Last week didn't go quite as expected. I used my wheel, which I knew I was slower with, but I didn't expect to have a screw up on 2 tracks. But that's what D2 is for, learning how to not make those mistakes.

3. I'm a bit torn with the Sainz thing. I want him to move on from Torro Rosso, but I also would like to see Kubica back. I think the engine thing is a good thing for mclaren, and torro Rosso with Honda might be good or bad for them, but it's good that we are keeping Honda in the sport

 

[AaronWebb85]

1) Welcome to the first PRL preseason race at Hungary.  How do you like this track?
It's one of my favorites. It's a technical track, but one you can still race at as there are a couple of good overtaking opportunities. 

2) How did your trial runs go last week?  What did you learn from that experience?
I didn't really get to run unfortunately as I was updating times. It was a lot of fun to be apart of though, and I look forward to doing it again in future games and seasons.

3) Rumors are Carlos Sainz will be moving to Renault and STR will have Honda engines for next season while McLaren switches to Renault Power.  This is a lot to take in, but what are your opinions of this?
I feel bad for STR going to Honda. Hope to see Renault improve and fully join the mid field battle.

 

[nickthequick]

1) Welcome to the first PRL preseason race at Hungary.  How do you like this track?
This track feels good with the new cars since they have so much more grip.  I used to not like it that much but it keeps growing on me.

2) How did your trial runs go last week?  What did you learn from that experience?
I was nervous that there would be issues, but for the most part it looks like it went off without a hitch!  For myself, I really messed up my times on Monza and Singapore but I always knew I would be down to others at Singapore.

3) Rumors are Carlos Sainz will be moving to Renault and STR will have Honda engines for next season while McLaren switches to Renault Power.  This is a lot to take in, but what are your opinions of this?
I see why RBR would like STR to have Honda because if it pans out, then they can move there as well.  McLaren should of either made their own power units or just stayed with the Merc unfortunately. 

I have always liked Sainz and I think he was given the short end of the stick when Max was getting all the praise.  He had almost has many points as him but with more car failures.  Renault would not be a bad option for him, but I was hoping that maybe he would get a chance to take Kimi's seat but Kimi is back!

 

[AerosStrike]

1. I don't mind Hungary as a track, just wish the road was a little wider. Going to be some tight battles around here.

2. Last week my runs went fairly decent.  Happy with my Singapore time but not so much with Monza and Britain, definitely time left on the track and room for improvement.

3.  It's always interesting to see drivers move between teams to see how they'll do compared to previous cars. I'd like to see McLaren more competitive which the Renault engine will help on but unless there's some improvement in the Honda engine for next year STR is going to have tough times on track to remain competitive but Honda should learn from this year to make a stronger engine for next year.

 

[destroyalkaline]

1) Welcome to the first PRL preseason race at Hungary.  How do you like this track?

I like this track quite a bit, not that I'm particularly good at it. I'll be putting in the practice this week. It has some fun turns and twists. Combine that with how narrow it is and, yeah, we'll get a good test of how clean everyone is.

2) How did your trial runs go last week?  What did you learn from that experience?

I spun early on Monza, limped my way around to the pits to get cleaned up and accidentally left with Super Softs instead of the Ultras. Made a few mistakes with the little time I had left and easily left a couple seconds on the track. I felt good on the other two though.

A few big takeaways:
- the importance of hot laps with minimal fuel in the tank
- how awesome this community is, with all the enthusiasm and communication, and how great the organizers are for putting it all together and doing a damn fine job!
- and how awesome it is to be able to race online with people who know how to drive and race clean. the online races with random people feels like me versus 15 Daniil Kvyats, ha

3) Rumors are Carlos Sainz will be moving to Renault and STR will have Honda engines for next season while McLaren switches to Renault Power.  This is a lot to take in, but what are your opinions of this?

I feel like Toro Rosso got the raw end of that deal, haha. I don't know how far or how serious Porsche has gotten in their talks with F1, but hopefully someone in the Toro Rosso camp is pulling some strings. In the meantime, lets hope Honda gets their engine sorted out, though it's hard to see that happening at this point.

 

[porq_chopz]

[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1) Welcome to the first PRL preseason race at Hungary.  How do you like this track?[/font]
I enjoy this track a ton. I sponsored it last season even though I had a horrible showing. Looking forward to starting this season off though.

[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2) How did your trial runs go last week?  What did you learn from that experience?[/font]
Not as well as I would have hoped. However knowing full well I suck at qualifying gives me hope that I wasn't too far off. I learned that I need to sneak into the opposing teams paddocks an slash their tires before qualifying. hahaha

[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]3) Rumors are Carlos Sainz will be moving to Renault and STR will have Honda engines for next season while McLaren switches to Renault Power.  This is a lot to take in, but what are your opinions of this?[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Honda needs to step their game up. They are putting a black spot on the F1 season with their lack of durability and power. Smart move for McLaren, and not sure what STR is thinking moving to honda.[/font]

 

[SweetTooth182]

1) Welcome to the first PRL preseason race at Hungary.  How do you like this track?
My first PRL race ever! I've been running some laps on Hungary and starting to find a groove. I should be OK as long as I don't overshoot turn 4 and end up in Austria.

Bold predictions:
-A car hits the high inner curb at the chicane and lands a perfect barrel roll
-A Mercedes driver lets the other Mercedes driver by at the last turn
-Someone other than me wins

2) How did your trial runs go last week?  What did you learn from that experience?
Better than expected. I just ran some consistent laps and probably ended up beating some guys that were faster than me who made mistakes. I was assuming I would end up somewhere in the top half of D2, so I'm a little intimidated to compete in D1. But you gotta play the best to be the best.

3) Rumors are Carlos Sainz will be moving to Renault and STR will have Honda engines for next season while McLaren switches to Renault Power.  This is a lot to take in, but what are your opinions of this?
I think someone at Honda has a picture of someone at Toro Rosso getting it on with a horse, and they don't want it to get out.

 

[dnews007]

1) Welcome to the first PRL preseason race at Hungary.  How do you like this track?

This is a very fun track! Especially the 2nd left hander!

2) How did your trial runs go last week?  What did you learn from that experience?

Went well except for getting penalty for driving backwards, whatever happened there??!!!.  I learned that I need to practice more and racing with lots of great racers to learn from.

3) Rumors are Carlos Sainz will be moving to Renault and STR will have Honda engines for next season while McLaren switches to Renault Power.  This is a lot to take in, but what are your opinions of this?


It's all for the sport and to make sure someone is making money. I just like watching the races and mid runners competing for top 10 finish

 

[jrod15243]

[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Pre-Race Interview[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1) Welcome to the first PRL preseason race at Hungary.  How do you like this track?[/font]
I really enjoy this track. I tend to do better at tracks like Hungary with lots of tight corners and on top of that there always seem to be pretty fun battles here. 
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2) How did your trial runs go last week?  What did you learn from that experience?[/font]
I had a lot of fun last week and really enjoyed the qualifying. It was a really good test. I think everyone had some small issues/mistakes, but hopefully most of those offset and I think it should make for some extremely competitive racing in both D1 & D2. Biggest takeaway was the importance of consistency. I struggle with this at times. The event really forced me to concentrate & make sure I gave myself a chance to improve my times on every lap. 
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]3) Rumors are Carlos Sainz will be moving to Renault and STR will have Honda engines for next season while McLaren switches to Renault Power.  This is a lot to take in, but what are your opinions of this?[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Extremely excited about this move. We all know McLaren produced an excellent chasis in 2017, but Honda really let them down. I'm hoping McLaren can keep up the good work in 2018 and with a Renault engines I think we could have a big 4 instead of big 3. Would be great to see Renault's engine make improvements on power so we have 4 really capable teams at the top battling for podiums next season. [/font]

 

[McSendit]

[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1) Welcome to the first PRL preseason race at Hungary.  How do you like this track?[/font]
One of my favorites. The track has great rhythm and practically non stop cornering. 

[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2) How did your trial runs go last week?  What did you learn from that experience?[/font]
They went great. It was really tough to prepare for three tracks rather than just one. I got a whole new perspective on how to get the most out of qualifying. 
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]3) Rumors are Carlos Sainz will be moving to Renault and STR will have Honda engines for next season while McLaren switches to Renault Power.  This is a lot to take in, but what are your opinions of this?[/font]
Hopefully McLaren will be competitive next year

 

[nickthequick]

Quali: P5
My fastest lap was my first, I screwed up the other 2.  I should have been on for a lower 1.17 but think it would have been tough for me to get pole as i was a few tenths off the pace.

[youtube]MgOTjaCe2C0[/youtube]
Race: P2
The 1 stop strategy did pretty good but I am not sure how much difference it would have made because Mitch was about 5 seconds ahead when he first pit, and then the end of the race gap was about the same.  Had a really good battle with Lance for the first stint and then after that I was in clean air until Mitch caught me up on fresher SS at the end.  Nice job for him and Aero who rounded out the podium!