Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - NASCAR is in Indianapolis this weekend,
and that means someone will kiss the bricks at the "big" track, while a lot of
beating and banging will go on at the nearby "short" track. Meanwhile, the
IndyCar Series heads north to Edmonton, Canada, and Formula One travels to
Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
to be an untouchable year for Brawn, the pendulum has swung now
in Red Bull's direction. And it could likely continue this weekend with the
Hungarian Grand Prix at Hungaroring.
During last year's fierce battle between rivals McLaren and Ferrari, Heikki
Kovalainen, in his first season with McLaren, won the Hungarian GP in a
stunning conclusion. Ferrari's Felipe Massa dominated the race, but Massa
suffered engine failure with three laps to go, allowing Kovalainen to capture
the lead.
Kovalainen went on to score his maiden victory and become the 100th driver to
win an F1 grand prix.
"Obviously I won in Hungary in 2008, so it will be nice to come back to
Budapest again," Kovalainen said. "This race is likely to be won or lost in
qualifying. You've got to be at the front and run an aggressive first stint if
you are to succeed in the race."
Kovalainen is rumored to be on the hot seat at McLaren, with the Finn posting
only five points so far this year.
Hungaroring is built 12 miles northeast of Budapest and is set in a natural
amphitheater. Overtaking is quite difficult since the 2.722-mile course is
very narrow with a a lot of corners (13). The pole sitter for the Hungarian GP
has gone on to win six of the last 10 times at Hungaroring.