Hungarian Grand Prix pit lane is FLOODED less than 48 hours before first qualifying session, as fears grow over whether race will go ahead as scheduled
There is serious concern that Friday’s first practice session will be cancelled
Temperatures are expected to rise over the weekend to 33C and 34C, however
Shocking images have revealed how the Hungarian Grand Prix pit lane has been flooded less than 48 hours before the first qualifying session.
The first practice is scheduled to take place just after midday on Friday, but the severe weather has led to some serious doubts as to whether this can go ahead.
The weather is expected to brighten up, with warm weather forecast in Hungary on the weekend.
With temperatures ranging around 33C and 34C on race day, F1 enthusiasts may be able to relax.
But images showing staff wading through the water, which is above ankle high, will certainly cause concern.
This comes after F1 fans yesterday dug up old comments from Ralf Schumacher where he criticised Lewis Hamilton‘s activism on the race track as ‘dangerous’ after the former driver had announced that he was gay on social media.
In the past, Hamilton has used his platform to help raise awareness on a variety of matters, notably having been outspoken on the Black Lives Matter movement and having also been a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.
He has also been seen wearing a Progress Pride helmet with a rainbow printed on it at several races in the Middle East.
Schumacher, meanwhile, made the surprise announcement on social media that he was gay on Sunday, posting a picture of himself arm-in-arm with his French business manager Etienne on Instagram.
He added the caption: ‘The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything.’
But some on X (formerly Twitter) have criticised the 49-year-old after they had unearthed comments he had reportedly made, per Sport1 back in 2021, claiming that Hamilton’s activism around the track was ‘polarising’.
READ MORE:
Verstappen’s driving ‘more assured’ after 2021 ‘tangles’ with Hamilton
RaceFans Round-up
In the round-up: Red Bull’s chief of car engineering Paul Monaghan says Max Verstappen drives with more confidence after his hard-fought 2021 championship campaign.
In brief
Verstappen has “mythical armour”
Monaghan sees “a phenomenal inner strength” in Verstappen, who is chasing his fourth consecutive world championship since winning the 2021 title in a season peppered with clashes between him and Lewis Hamilton.
“There’s a sort of mythical armour, if you like,” Monaghan told the official F1 channel. “Not much is going to derail him.
“His confidence has built. He’s, I think, driving with a great deal more assuredness now than, say, ’21. We got tangled up with Lewis a few times, didn’t we? Now nothing much fazes him, does it?”
Monaghan believes Verstappen’s victory that year has allowed him to rely on his strengths as a driver. “He’s gone from someone who had an expectation, a belief and a confidence to someone who has realised that expectation and is now one of the very best we’ll see, I suspect.”
Hungaroring adds track limits fixes
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The Hungaroring operators have made changes at two corners to enforce track limits this year. A 2.5 metre wide strip of grass has been added at the exit of turn five and a strip of gravel measuring the same width has been installed at turn 12.
Robb burned finger in 109G crash
Sting Ray Robb revealed he passed out after suffering a 109G impact when he was launched into the air after colliding with Alexander Rossi at the end of Sunday’s second IndyCar race in Iowa. However his injuries were light.
“The worst injury I got was on my finger,” he explained. “I touched the halo [in the Aeroscreen] getting out of the car.
“It turns out when you take titanium and scrape it across the ground for a few hundred feet, it gets hot. Don’t recommend. Lesson learned. You’ll get a blister from touching hot titanium there.”
