It’s been an emotional week. The unexpected passing of promising talent Jules Bianchi has been a reminder to everyone how dangerous motorsport can be. Safety has drastically improved over the years but every time you start up that engine, there is risk involved.
Jules was destined to become a Ferrari driver and have a stab at the big time. He had raced very well numerous times with Marussia so everything was looking good. I never thought about the danger involved when I was driving and I still don’t think about it now, but sometimes afterwards, you do realise how lucky you are if you are involved in an accident and come away with minor injuries.
The day you start thinking about the danger is probably a good sign to reconsider your career. In 2008, I had a big crash in Spain but it didn’t affect my confidence in the car. I had a four-hour blackout during and after the accident and it still gives me the odd headache, but I count myself lucky compared to incidents like Jules’ and Aryton Senna’s.
Mark Webber always used to be vocal about safety issues in the drivers meetings. He demanded that safety kept improving, whereas Kimi Raikkonen never seemed that bothered and kept quiet. Racing is never going to be 100 per cent safe, but it has definitely improved since the Senna days.
The chassis design has altered, the cars handle crash impacts better and the driver’s heads are more protected. Hopefully it carries on improving.
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– Webber: Ricciardo has some decisions to make
The Hungarian GP was a race I always looked forward to because for Finnish drivers, it was the closest we got to a home race. Kimi and his compatriots will have many supporters cheering them on. The Hungarian circuit is very different to others because it has slow corners and is challenging to overtake, so qualifying is crucial.
Raikkonen, @ValtteriBottas, @Max33Verstappen and @alo_oficial head out on track #HungarianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/RLHyTzOtTj
— sutton-images.com (@suttonimages) July 24, 2015
The weather is usually very hot which makes it hard on the engine and tyres. Last year, Williams had a poor performance at this race. They seem to struggle at the slower circuits when the top speed is not as important. I am worried they will fail to challenge Mercedes and Ferrari again.
This opens up an opportunity for the likes of Force India, Red Bull or Lotus to try and push on. I still expect Mercedes to win the race with Ferrari just behind them.
PREDICTIONS
Third: Kimi Raikkonen: He needs a podium and this has always been a competitive circuit for him.
Second: Nico Rosberg:
First: Lewis Hamilton: This is a particularly good circuit for Lewis like Montreal. He’s been very successful in Hungary so he is going to be extremely hard to beat.
