McLaren in search of improvement at 'relentless' Hungaroring

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McLaren has been going nowhere fast lately, but sporting director Gil de Ferran isn't giving up on trying to improve the team's MCL33.

The Woking-based outfit was out of the points in Germany last weekend, with Fernando Alonso never a contender for a top-10 finish before retiring on the penultimate lap of the race and Stoffel Vandoorne clocking in dead last of the runners at Hockenheim.

Needless to say, McLaren can only move forward from here, but it's the degree of its progress that the team and de Ferran hope to increase.

"After a challenging weekend in Germany, we look ahead to the final back-to-back Grand Prix before the summer break," said the Brazilian in the team's race preview.

"The Hungarian Grand Prix is always a popular event with the fans as well as the team and drivers, and Budapest is a beautiful host city that we all enjoy visiting."

Alonso: 'No time to breath' at Hungaroring

McLaren's MCL33 has not fared well at high-speed tracks, pinned down as it has been by its aerodynamic weakness.

Perhaps Hungary's tight and twisty nature, coupled with Alonso's panache, will help the car and the team's cause. In any case however, the venue will likely deliver to McLaren and its drivers another set of tough challenges.

"The key characteristic of this track is that it’s relentless in nature," added de Ferran.

"It’s a short track with a lot of corners which makes it feel very stop-start and requires precise positioning of the car in order to get the most out of the lap.

"It means achieving a good balance is very important, which is something we’ll be looking at very closely this weekend.

"To add to the technicalities of this circuit, the drivers deal with high temperatures in the cockpit, making it a particularly challenging test for both them and the engineers when setting up the cars.

"Our focus is on making steps forward race-by-race and improving our understanding of our package, as we strive to make improvements to our performance each weekend."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.