McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl believes that the Hungaroring will provide his team with an “interesting challenge” this weekend.
The Woking outfit head into the final race before the summer break third in the constructors’ championship, with Lando Norris third in the drivers’ standings having finished on the podium three times already.
Daniel Ricciardo has struggled by comparison, but showed signs of improvement at the British Grand Prix last time out.
Ferrari are the closest challenger to McLaren in the bid for third in the championship and Seidl described the fight for that spot as “far from over”.
“The Hungaroring presents the team with an interesting challenge compared to the relatively high-speed tracks of Austria and Silverstone,” he said. “With high downforce levels and a tight, twisting layout, it’s no surprise many often describe the circuit as Monaco without the walls.
“The team, along with Lando and Daniel, has done a fantastic job so far to put us in this position in the Constructors’ Championship, but we know the fight is far from over, and momentum could shift away from us with a single difficult weekend. The challenges posed by the Hungaroring may not suit our car as much as other circuits on the calendar, but much of the fight for third this year will be decided by how well we perform at tracks that don’t naturally play to our strengths.
“We’ll be working hard as a team, alongside Mercedes HPP, to ensure we maximise any opportunities that present themselves over the weekend. As always, the aim is to score a good haul of points and keep pushing for the highest possible position in the Constructors’ Championship. The team will be giving it all this weekend before we have a chance to regroup and recharge over the summer break,” Seidl concluded.