12 races down 12 to go Formula 1 arrives at the hungara ring for race number 13 and with six different winners so far this season the weekend is wide open we're here in the Searing heat of Budapest and welcome to the week can warm up hello and a warm welcome down to the paddock we are mercifully standing in the shade but it has been boiling all day and it is set to be all weekend as well welcome to Lawrence pra who joins me as ever and the biggest welcome to Alice pal who we've had on the show many a time as a guest we can hear you in commentary for F2 and F3 but you now join us part of the weird and dysfunctional F1 CH family yeah I've worked that out quite quickly now and I've only been here for a few hours but thanks for having me guys you doing all good all good looking forward to a very warm weekend yeah we are indeed thanks to your driving into the track as well so you get me at all hours of dayri yeah Chief driver as a driver surely yeah why not just you and Bruth as a passenger I'm not too sure about it's a fair point it's a fair point um Lawrence here we are in um beautiful Budapest I love this city so much and the race they're really putting on a show aren't they yeah it's a really nice Vibe here normally it's the last race before the summer break so we get that summer holidays kind of feeling we still got Spar to go of course but actually here they their organized have done a lot of improvements to the Circuit new grand stands enhanced padet building they're really making an effort here to make us feel welcome I always love coming here I love Budapest as a city but actually this track has as we were seeing in that opener delivered some cracking races over the years yeah amazing races first time poll positions record-breaking poll positions first time wins for many a famous face in this padic as well and I think we could be set for a really thrilling weekend as Alice just mentioned Ruth busam is also here former strategist for Alpha Romeo and now part of our F1 TV team as well we'll be throwing to her soon for her strategy hit of the weekend and uh you were out earlier on on the track as well in the heat it has to be said midday let's send the Newbie out into the hot sun yeah it was a warm welcome that was for sure that was for sure but it was good it's a great track and I really enjoy coming here uh like Lawrence said great atmosphere buest is amazing but the fans there was already F fans in the grandstand already so it's such a special atmosphere really looking forward to seeing a driver engineer track walk as well I think that would be really yeah we didn't picker so it was great oh Dam I thought you might have done at least anyway let's take a look at what happened last time out at Silverton if you missed this one where and Earth were you here it is we are in the United Kingdom at the silverston circuit Max witha and championship leader with his big rival Lando Norris alongside on the second row and then on the front row and Mercedes one two if you'd asked me to pick the grid for a competitive race I'd have gone for something like this light out away we go Russell gets a good getaways Hamilton tucks in behind watch out for Max Lando Norris now bringing pressure on Hamilton OH the contact I think that's just a bit unlucky really on the first lap V sten's got the outside Lin ven he gets in front of the McLaren rain expected when the rain comes it's going to be a racing decision of when is the right conditions to take it Lon Norris is going on the attack and he passes Max V Sten Max is struggling goes for the inside and yeah he's through as well slippery it's raining it's really slippery look how close Lando Norris is he's done it Lando Norris now takes the lead of the British Grand Prix oh pastri gets the place well Perri's got a beautiful line on the exit he's done it pastri has a chance for Stafford's going to pitch it's only Norris who's told to come in he's double stacked Norris he's made a pitch stop on this lap and he's nearly catching his teammate again his race has been buted great call for the inter this is our time retire the car George he is out of the British gr PR Hamilton's in and Norris stays out this is the crucial lap for staffen in as well same lap need the Box the softest Fe now any sleep so long in his box as well Hamilton comes out front of Lando Norris look at Max mustafin now looming large in the mirrors of Lando Norris Here Comes Max mustafin he moves to the outside and he makes the move he's up into second place leis Hamilton wins the British Grand Prix get in there Le means a lot means a lot to the love this is Formula 1 at his best oh my goodness me what unbelievable race we had last time out and that race radio at the end the emotion Lawrence that poured from Lewis Hamilton from his fans from the Mercedes team I think from all fans of Motorsport as well because what a story it is yeah I think there was a lot of love for Lewis Hamilton Victory as you saw him running across the fans straight after getting out of the car it meant so much to him he genuinely didn't think he was going to win another race and he obviously got it there on home s at circuit he's dominated at it was a Feelgood story and I think that you'd struggle to find anyone in that P Maybe geord Russ obviously cuz he wanted to win his home race Lando of course but I think generally they'd be happy for him and the kind of performance he delivered there oh absolutely and Mercedes fans will be happy as well two wins on the bounce now front row lockout of course in Silverstone as well Alice can we firmly believe and say now that Mercedes are back and a team that they're going to be fighting at the front every weekend I mean I think they'll fight at the front this weekend they qualified on poll here last year with Lewis Hamilton and his track should sort of suit them but they those they've got those up grades working which is important because some other teams haven't but uh it'll be down to many factors qualifying is really important here so it's hard to overtake but I certainly wouldn't write off Mercedes at all for this weekend no not at all I think we've probably got four teams coming into this weekend who all believe they can win as I said before this season very much proving to be wide open at the halfway mark and we can't wait to see what's going to happen here on a slightly lower speed hungara ring track let's take a look at the calendar though the sprint races have just been announced for 202 five so this is where you can expect to see them first up China then Miami then we will be heading to Belgium Austin Brazil and finally Qatar for our Sprint Racers we've been doing them a number of years now as well haven't we we've got a few coming up after the summer break here Lawrence yeah we've got three coming up for the rest of the year it feels like they've been part of the calendar for a long time now and I think we've been treated to a lot of good ones over the years Brazil is my favorite because we always seem to get a cracker so yeah I'm glad they're still part of the calendar great start um I can't wait for this weekend honestly I'm absolutely buzzing we've got Ruth on hand as well who is going to be taking a look now each weekend at how the strategy is looking ahead of the weekend but also looking back at what has been before and what they that might be able to tell us about the upcoming race weekend Ruth over to you and welcome to your Budapest weekend warm-up race strategy briefing right now we have uh all 10 teams probably doing a pretty similar thing that are having a bit of a brief learning all about all the things that can happen um across a race weekend getting ready for it basically um so we thought we can't let the teams have all the fun um and we figured we should do one for you guys at home so yeah let's go race weekend race strategy briefing so here we are in glorious warm sunny Budapest no British rainclouds to be there Budapest 70 laps 4.31 km 14 turns and it's 444 for me to run from pole into breaking in turn one which why is that important because it's the start it's so key here because the overtaking difficulty is so high typically across a season it can end up something like the fourth hardest overtake track of the year so track position both through a good qualifying a good start and a good strategy is absolutely key to getting a good result so looking at the track we have turn one that's your big overtaking hot spot turn four that's really technical difficult Corner blind one moving through the track you have to really na absolutely every single turn here it's only 70c lap turn 11 turn 14 really aggressive curbs we're going to see how the rebel handles those this weekend um but before we do anything about this year we need to have a quick review of last year's race so last year's race we had the same compounds a C3 a C4 and a C5 and one of the things as race strategist we do is we review what happened in previous years so for everybody at home and everybody here watching this was last year's it was a tw- stop for most cars um and what you'll see here different colors um most teams started on that medium and the hard Tire with only four cars um overall starting on the soft compound Tire um caros made a great start made up about five positions off the start line on that red uh soft compound um but then it degraded quite a lot um so you can see after that first in no one b bothered using those red softs for the rest of it but we did get a mix of guys going for a medium hard medium and a medium hard hard but everybody pretty much two-stop race um with undercutting going on moving on to this year's race we have the same compounds C3 C4 C5 those are the softest in the range last week at silverston we had the hardest in the range so last week's soft is this week's hard so these compounds are a lot more aggressive you are likely to see the medium and the hard tires once again used in this year's race the difference is last year was an 8 so everybody had loads of hards and loads of mediums by default because we had a different format this weekend the guys are going to have to decide um what is going on ahead of the race weekend um because they have the standard race weekend allocation now this soft tire don't worry you'll see it a lot on Saturday it is significantly faster in qualifying it's significantly FAS over one time lap but requires so much Management in the race because it's rather fragile especially when the track is very warm um that it's not particularly fast over one timed lab so people have already mentioned quite how hot it is and it's not just hot for humans it's hot for cars and it is hot for tires um and all of those things make a big important difference difference we've had lots of failures in terms of cars that really at the limit of their kind of you know power unit levels um and the weather expected this weekend is going to be very hot in fact one of the hottest races we've had since 2017 with track temperatures out about 51 degrees on Friday dropping a mere 2 degrees to 49 on Saturday and then dropping a couple more degrees on the Sunday and why is that important that is so important because in qualifying they're really going to have to focus on trying to get those TI in the window 20 cars on track a 70c lap that's a lot of cars in a very small space of time and everyone wants to drive rather slowly to make sure their C5 soft tires are ready for opening the lab on Sunday it's going to be about Tire management it's been a theme already this year and it's going to be a really important theme of the day um on Sunday it could come down to who does a better job managing their tires who does a better job setting up their car for the actual race stin itself and um there we have the race itself but before the race there's qualifying and as we said here qualifying is absolutely key that is because overtaking is so difficult and going into this race weekend on the form book there are four teams yeah once again we have four teams that could be the fastest car Mercedes been so strong in those low speed Corners the Ferrari's new upgrade package we know it's so good on a track layout like this where we've got a fewer highspeed um Straits as we had in silverston McLaren have been been a constant threat and then of course you've got that Red Bull have they learned something in the weeks that we just gone on terms of being able to use the curbs and we have two drivers obviously in each team that's an obvious one but with four cars qualifying gap between teammates actually makes a huge difference in where we see them line up on the grid and what we've seen over the last 12 races is there's a massive spread not just um for the kind of the big guys in the Midfield teams but it's especially for the Front Runners with the smallest gap between teammates being the Ferraris with Charles being on average 9% um so depending on the track length that can be something between 0.07 seconds and about a tenth um to behind Charles all the way down to the guys at the bottom where you've got vapen is on average 6 37% faster in qualifying than his teammate czecho Laura do you have any questions on your briefing thank you very much I think we consider ourselves very well briefed thank you so much Ruth I think for me we're looking at those qualifying gaps how tricky is that to manage in a team situation when you have a gap as big as a likes of we're seeing for sergeant for Joe and for Perez as well 0.637 well it it really makes a huge difference not just in terms of you know actual results but in terms of planning as a race strategy because you'll make different choices based on which tires you think you want to have for Sunday based on you know how competitive you're going to be and where you're going to line up and so for especially the teams like Williams and um salba that are fighting for every single point they might take a slightly different tire approach now last week in silverston we saw that the Red Bull started Checker who started from the pit Lane after a poor qualifying on that hard Tire he didn't get very far in the race but actually probably the information they learned on the hard tire was critical in them actually being able to fit that hard Tire on Max Ban's last stint that was so affected in him chasing down Lando um for that P2 position so yeah I mean obviously you'd like to have the kind of the Ferrari style Gap right at the very top and even you know stroll 0.11 off of of Fernando he's there in qualifying which on a track that is a hard overtake actually can convert to points great staff thank you so much Ruth we'll come back to you in just a bit over there in the pit Lane um Alice Lawrence what did you make of that Gap then the gaps that we're seeing Joe Sergeant but but also Perez and we know that so much is said about Perez and his form uh and indeed what he can do and what he's capable of in that red bull yeah clearly the car is is quick and we know Perez is quick but he's not just delivering when it counts at the moment and you know everyone's saying his time might be up he has signed that extension but you know as Ruth touched on you need we need they need a teammate there every team does and Perez at the moment it that's not happening for him so how long really realistically can Red Bull go on with I think they kind of got away with it for a little bit when they had that massive performance advantage over everyone else but now like we were saying earlier you got Ferrari McLaren and Mercedes in the mix and if czecho isn't competing at the level at least within a couple of tents of Max then he's going to end up p8 P9 P10 getting knocked out of q1 so I think the team if they're serious about wanting to win the Constructor Championship this year and we still got a long season ahead of us then they are going to have to start thinking about what are they going to do about czecho whether or not that is finding a new way to get more out of him or it is making a change and we're here at another track in which qualifying is really important over taking somewhat limited on a Titan twisty 4.3 kilm hungara ring um Sergio Perez is 137 points behind Max Sten at the moment in the world driver Championship as Lawrence says in the constructors that's that could make the difference couldn't it as things really tighten up exactly we're we're halfway through the season and that is a big Point scap to have after just 12 races I know things have kind of not gone his way but we could say the same with Max in in Australia things have not sort of gone his way as well so it is time for for czecho to sort of pull his socks up I actually thought when he signed that extension I thought okay that's a weight off his shoulders he knows he's going to be there next year yeah but actually he's kind of gone backwards a little bit yeah it seems to have almost been that he was fighting for that contract and then as soon as it came in sort of in a similar point to last season the wheels have have come off somewhat and we we hope that Sergio Perez can begin to pick up that form that that we know he is capable of do you think redel have found the upgrades necessary Lawrence to be able to ride the curbs in a way they weren't at say Monaco which has similarish characteristics to here I'm not sure I I guess we'll have to see how they go in practice but it seems like something that they knew would take some time to get on top of so it feels like it might be a little bit too soon to have the confidence to go and say yeah they're going to be stronger around here I think you talked to Max and he's still pretty so confident in his own ability and his own talent I think he feels like he can work around that and still go and win the thing I think where czecho is struggling because he's struggling so much with the car overall has no confidence the mechanics and Engineers are trying so many different things and they're not working I think when the car isn't operating in the way you expect it to do and the team are maybe trying some other things to find Solutions that's going to probably causeing more problems and look you said that czecho has really responded well to problems in the past when he's had these runs but it's never gone on this long this is quite a long time now that he's really struggled and and I think as a driver when you are you know that far behind your teammate and it' be hard for anyone to go up against Max V stappen you lose your confidence you know and I think we're just seeing czecho just really struggle his confidence is pretty low and it's almost you go into this little bit of a spire and leis Hamilton touched on that he thought at times he hadn't won for so long George was beating him he was thinking have I still got it maybe I haven't got it and that's leis Hamilton saying that so every driver certainly when you go through periods of time like this it can be so difficult it's a confidence game isn't it and that can be so hard to get back we'll see uh what happens here at the hungara ring um we move on to McLaren because look low speed they are looking like they could be good here they could be on Pace here what do you make of that form here and equally what do you make not just of their car and what that can deliver but also what the team can deliver and whether now they are at the pointy end of races now they have the chance to win can they capitalize on that can they execute the race to ensure that they get over the line I think that word that you use execution is so important because at the moment they've had those chances there and they've just not taking them Silverstone a prime example yes okay Lando overshot ever so slightly went past his marks which which hinders that the pit crew have got a move and it's you know those T add up to seconds but they just need to start taking these opportunities because we see that things can change quite quickly it's a development race not just a race of on the track and things are changing quite quickly so I think McLaren need to start looking at the S Sal and say right okay we really need to start making these right strategy calls because we're we're missing out on points and again the Constructor Championship that's points make big prizes in terms of Finance but they just haven't really been in this position for so many years so I imagine there's some dust that they need to shake off because they're just not used to maybe that extra bit of pressure that comes on top of fighting for a win versus fighting for the final Podium and I think they just need to have more experiences and hopefully some more examples of them reacting well to it to give them the confidence to kind of make those decision going forward whereas Red Bull have been winning for how long now they're just so used to it they're into the routine and Mercedes as well long history of that too I agree and actually Lando Norris does with us all as well and he basically said it's a good position to be in where we're fighting for these wins and it means yes these lows really hurt the highs will feel a lot better when we do get them and and they will get them they're close um but he also was very keen to label the point to me that they have been the most consistent team over the past few months as well and he he's Keen to sort of point out that should be the headline rather than the mistakes potential mistakes the strategy indecision that they are making um but we're going to hear now from charlot Clair in that Ferrari they've also been struggling a little bit I am uh obviously looking back uh the last four races have been very very difficult and uh especially on my side we've been looking at it obviously we went quite extreme uh with uh the setup especially to try and cure the issues we had uh especially with the bouncing that we've had recently since Barcelona really and on my side I took a bit of risk uh going up and down with a setup to try and find an solution to it and uh when it's like this you pay the price with the results and that's what happened in the last four races however when it's like this you also learn a lot about it and uh and I think with the knowledge that we have of those issues now I'm confident that we'll do a step forward uh from this weekend onward um and I hope we can confirm that on track tomorrow best lot this weekend thanks sh H we'll see what is going to happen with FR you spoke to sh there Lawrence I mean look they've been bouncing between IMA old spec Spain spec trying to find a car that really behaves well and is balanced across all different circuits what did you deduce from his body language and the way he was talking to you about their chances this weekend so he's actually in a much better place than he's been in for months basically I talked to him in the pen after every session every weekend and he's gone more and more Furious irritated by just the number of things that have happened over time and he was lost for words actually at Silverstone he was like well I don't really know what to say anymore because there were so many things that are happening today he was much brighter I think they've made a few little tweaks to to the floor theyve brought here to try and stop that bounc in that's really given them a world of pain but also I think the understanding of the upgrade they've got made some progress in that area so hopefully if those things come together then they'll have a better weekend I think Fred was pretty Punchy he was talking about they're back in the fight and they're going to be Front Runners here and Fred doesn't normally do that if he's not reasonably confident about the package that they've got well that's exciting and of course car SS still looking for a seat for 2025 as well as the driver Market continues to rumble on through this halfway mark of the Season Alice earlier on obviously we talked about Lewis Hamilton and the scenes at silverston how emotional it was and how brilliant for the team to have two wins on the bounce adversely though George Russell obviously with a dnf in that race in which I'm I'm sure he'd have been on the podium wouldn't he after after that one what do you make of Mercedes chances here they've looked absolutely rapid in the low speed stuff recently yeah I mean exactly they've looked great in the low speed so you could say that this should suit them I would say going into this weekend they're certainly in the mix is hot though so they would hope that they'll have no sort of reliability issu that I mean that goes across the board George he'll want to be out I mean he knows that he missed a chance wasn't his fault obviously but when your teammate wins doesn't matter if he's already had a win this season that fires you up even more so he'll he'll be wanting to come say come back out and be like hang on a second you know I'm I'm the I'm the top guy here I'm the top Mercedes driver so they'll both be fighting they'll both want to fight at the front but I think Mercedes have got a very good chance this weekend and they now know what's possible as well because George Russell's win came off the back of a collision between Lando Norris and maxen Lewis Hamilton's win came from strategy making the right calls at the right time from the pace this Mercedes has got so now it's it's possible for both drivers it's going to be an interesting battle between the two of them um the news this morning coming into the paddock is that Hass who have extended their partnership with Ferrari just behind us here they uh will say goodbye to Kevin Magnuson at the end of this season with that second seat uh set to be announced soon due to be announced I think we know who it may be yet to be announced anyway let's hear first from Kevin Magnuson it's been a very open conversation very transparent it's it's not uh you know a is is a very honest guy and I think it's you know that's kind of been the case with this team from from the very beginning so uh I think the process has been very very good and very very healthy if you want and and honest at least and uh you know I think right now still many seats available in in Formula 1 for next year it's all quite open so I think the best best thing to do is just to do do good races and and uh you know that means you're you're staying in in the hunt for for those available seats saw in the announcement that a was talking about there' be a way maybe you could continue to work together but just listening to you today it seems like you want to keep RAC it like how do those two things kind of dovetail together well of course I can't be working with us if I'm racing in another Formula One team but but uh I think uh it's it's nice uh to hear ya say that that uh you know shows his um I guess um he he's he's grateful for for my contribution to the team and and wants to uh kind of hang on to it which I'm of course open to if uh if my situation allows it and uh you know we'll see I think uh that would be a a really a positive and you know very natural kind of role to take and uh uh of course it can only happen if I'm not racing in in Formula 1 a a lovely interview there from Kevin Magnuson and and it feels that he has an element of contentment around what he's achieved in Formula 1 and also ni hulkenberg with wonderful words to say about him as well in their relationship and how much it's deepened over the years and after that moment which I'm sure you all know about we will not go over the words that were said during that moment in the um mix Zone a few years ago but very much Kevin Magnuson sort of content with where he is at the moment Lawrence can I come to you do you believe that he has anywhere else he could go within this padic or do you think this is the end of him in Formula 1 the end of him God that sounds no I think demise no it was quite extreme language I think he's actually genuinely come to terms with whatever happens he's going to be okay with and I think that's important I think he is exploring other options on the grid but I think the reality is he accepts they are more well slim chances really and I think he's looking at other racing activities outside the sport cuz he still got that hunger to compete so I think he's just seeing this as a new chapter rather than like you know he's dying effectively and leaving the sport yeah I was not meant to insinuate that but he may stay within the team right the team are looking at actually an option in which he can very much be still be a part of what they're doing going forward yeah I thought it pretty cool that AO kamatsu basically said look if we can find a way to work with Kevin going forward that isn't when he's in the car you know could be on the simulator as a development driver because he's got so much to give and I think that shows how much respect they've had for him as a driver and he's been with the team for seven years and two stints so they've actually got a lot from him he he was critical really to their fifth place in 2018 that was their best ever finish in the constructors so I think there's a lot of respect for him but obviously if he does that he can't go racing so he's got a big decision to make yeah interesting we wish him the very best whatever he does decide to do um that second seat Alice it's looking like estan oon right all but really confirmed heard that shock that's the rumor in the that's who it's looking like not been announced obviously yet but uh it's a small Paddock isn't it it is a small Paddock that's very much very much the rumor Alpine obviously with work to do do after Silverstone that was a tough weekend for them wasn't wasn't it estan oon with the issues the miscommunication and qualifying p gazy a dnf in the race after taking that pit Lane start where do they go from here do you think Lawrence I think they had a real good bounce when they were kind of getting the low hanging fruit they were shaving weight out of the car and I think that really helped them Banks some progress and they obious had a lot of changes to the team flavier brour came in there was a lot of change a lot to look to the Future and I think they really benefited from that they've kind of Fallen back a little bit but I think that's more just the fact that other teams are making steps and that's what's been really good about Formula 1 this year is it's not about just bringing an update it's about how much it can deliver on track but how much you get out of it how quickly you get out of it I think Aline were maybe doing a good job and then someone else just done a better job and I think that's all it is and it's so close for that ninth 10th those final points P positions that I don't think it's they're doing anything wrong they're just not doing it as quick as they were earlier and Pierre gazley earlier on was asked pretty much outright in the press conference who do you want to see in that second Alpine seat and he sort of said well the the fastest driver I'm presumed by that he's insinuating Carlos signs I've presumed I would presume that if he saying that then Carlos science is probably the fastest driver available at the moment in time I think the team have got to decide whether or not they want to wait for Carlos to decide whether or not they want to join or if they want to go down the young driver I find always find it's a difficult question isn't it for a driver to answer about who do you want your teammate to be because you probably don't want them to be too fast to be you want to be the F no exactly you you want to be the fastest you want to have that competition but yeah that's that's probably one of the toughest uh questions to answer as a driver and we look further a field at the driver Market as well we look towards vCard too and obviously Liam Lawson he's been testing in that red bull hasn't he in the wet at silverston so perhaps doesn't paint the clearest picture um Liam sorry aaac kajer also has been named by Christian hoer um as a guy he's likely to see make an F1 debut what do you make of the VAB Red Bull driver Market chat I think it's fascinating because Red Bull have got so many questions to answer and we've to look at it as the Red Bull family so they can place any of their drivers in any of those four seats Red Bull and V carb and at the minute obviously they got Yuki SoDo in one seat but does he go up if czecho leaves and then does that mean they bring Liam Lawson in I think they've got an embarrassment of riches really it's kind of down to Ricardo though I think to deliver and prove that he deserves to keep that seat and then they'll have to find a solution to put Lawson somewhere else on the grid if they want to keep him in the family Alice do you have any views on where drivers may end up through 2025 within that Red Bull family I mean I think that Liam Lawson did a good job I think he really impressed where when he he stepped in so actually I'd personally like to see Liam give the opportunity a young driver hazar is another great shot he's doing great things in Formula 2 I'm all about giving young drivers opportunities um botas as well I was going to say speaking of few Young Drivers but he's definitely at the older end of drivers um although younger than me I must say uh but valter botas um very much one of the experienced drivers on the grid he's also looking for a SE isn't he yeah like you said he's at the other end of the scale but he's got race wins under his belt and I think that makes him an attractive Prospect I think when the teams lower down the field are looking for a driver that kind of experience as they're looking to grow maybe they want to Mentor another driver there's a lot of other factors that I can come into it and I think if you'd ask valry maybe a couple of months ago how he felt about his future he might be a bit worried that he might be losing his seat whereas now it feels like he's got a few options on the table there's a lot of movement going out out and about around him he feels pretty comfortable I think with the conversations he's had they will continue I'm pretty confident we're going to see valry Bas on the grid next year I'm just not sure where yet yeah it's going to be fascinating to see how all the pieces of the puzzle fall uh not least in technical staff as well obviously enrio card has left Ferrari he'll be heading to ason Martin Andy Cal was also announced at Aston Martin as well really bolstering that technical department the rumors since Silverstone have been that Adrien Nei will also be joining Aston Martin and we've been keeping half an hour on on on where aan Nei may end up and one minute he's house hunting in Marinello the next he's apparently house hunting in Oxfordshire but that could mean he could serve any one of a number of teams here in Formula 1 Alice any thoughts on where we may see asan Nei end up and will it be Aston Martin and what impact could that have I mean to have Adrian y on your team look what it's done for Red Bull when he he okay he took some time but the amount of wins and championships that they've accured with with Adrian Nei he's just incredible so wherever you are on the grid and having Adrian Nei as an addition is only a good thing yeah it's incredible isn't it U Williams of course they've also touted for him and their name has been touted about in in association too where do you see Williams this weekend Lawrence how do you see their form heading into this one well Alex album was essentially saying it's going to be a very difficult weekend for them the track layout the type of Corners here just don't really suit this Williams it's going to be tricky I think for them to to make progress and I think that's disappointing because Logan sergeants kind of find a toy better form recently Alex has been punching as well and the thing is with the Field's so close above them when they have that deficit to the rest of the field it's really hard for them to make an impact yeah it's going to be tricky isn't it Ruth your Ruth Alice your thoughts on on where you think Williams will end up this weekend and how they can step on from here if indeed it is another tough weekend yeah I think another tough weekend I bet Ming pretty much what what Lawrence has said they're a little bit like alping haven't they they they've stepped forward in places then they've gone back then they've gone forward again and and but it is just so competitive in that mid pack they'll be looking to try their best to to get as close to the points and maybe have Logan right there with Alex but I do think it's going to be a tough weekend for them just a quick one to add Williams probably been a team actually you haven't brought that many upgrades versus the rest of the pack and I think they're planning some later in the year so that's a big factor when the teams around them are doing it it's not like they're doing a bad job it's just that Alex and Logan are fighting with the same sort of car that they've had for a long period of time yeah great stuff thank you very much before we all melt here in the Budapest heat um let's take a look at how the rest of our weekend is shaping up here at the Hungarian Grand Prix we will be on air building up to free practice one at 1:15 tomorrow we'll then be on air at 5 no 4:45 for fp2 fp3 that's 12:15 on air for our full coverage of the third hour of running before qualifying at halfast 3 that's our pre-qualifying show and of course post qual after that battle for pole then we head to race day here in Budapest we'll be on air for our pre-race show at 2 p.m. ahead of race start at 300 p.m. well I mean I think this heat is going to be very much a talking point throughout the weekend not just for us standing here presenting to you guys but also for the drivers for the teams for staying on top of hydration for all sorts as as a driver how tricky is this weekend going to be to navigate well you you needed to have started hydrating days before a week before so but they they've got their trainers they're clued up they'll know keeping hydration is really key trying to keep cool I'm sure we'll see shots of uh some of the drivers in ice bath scattered about around the paddock but yeah that hydration is Kean it's a long race it's a hot race so it's really really important to make sure you've got all your fluids Before the Race does apparal Spritz count as hydration uh for me and you yeah maybe not for the drivers and Lawrence you know a thing or two about ice baths will we see you in one again this weekend I was literally just thinking about when I got an ice bath with with Yuki last year in Singapore I'd love a ice bath right now I would mind Ace it was painful at the time but it was would be glorious I'd like to have a nice bath but not on camera with all of you guys so maybe a bunge jump instead we not a bungee jump either there's a horrible rumor I'm going to do a bungee jump for the um opening link of the show and I'm just saying on air now it's not happening and director Tom's laughing in my ear okay we're going to move very swiftly on because that is not happening to our predictions for this weekend and it's a tough one to predict yeah it is I'm just trying to think what am I going to say um I think McLaren generally speaking we've said they've scored the most points for the last couple of races I feel like they are the ones to beat if they get everything right so I've got to PL for an Oscar piastri win I think I think he's probably going to have the edge over Lander I feel like his upward trajectory been pretty good Mark Weber will be delighted I've said that um and I think I think we're going to get two McLaren on the podium that's what I think two mlar on the podium and Max that's what I think it's going to be two McLarens and a Max okay Alex I think we'll have a mixture I mean I'd love to see Oscar win but I'll go something different for you I think we'll see Mercedes win Mercedes Victory and we'll have a McLaren and Red Bull similar Podium to uh to the British Grand Prix okay I I will also say a leou Hamilton win I think winning becomes a habit and I think now le Hamilton had a taste of it once again I think he'll pick up his record-breaking ninth win here as well like he did last time out at silverston I'm going to say yeah leis Hamilton to win I'm going to give it a Lando Max on the podium behind that she basically just coped me yeah all right but Lando P um you'll get used to that now you're in the team I just basically mirror what you say and sound a bit intelligent doing it so welcome um thank you Lawrence thank you Alice big thanks to Ruth as well in the pit Lane for her strategy briefing ahead of this one it's going to be a very hot and eventful Hungarian Grand Prix we can't wait to bring you with us all the way we'll see you tomorrow for free practice bye for now this is the Hungarian Grand Prix welcome to hungar and we go racing and immediately they're going to go willto whe oh contact and Oscar past goes to the second place ATT track of strategy and persistence it's so intense wa look at that pestry not giving it up Max V stappen wins the Hungarian Grand Prix