F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Alonso hopes to avoid wet weather 'gamble' in Hungary

Fernando Alonso hopes that conditions remain dry at the Hungaroring for the remainder of the race weekend, to avoid the inevitable "gamble" that comes with a wet track.

Ahead of this weekend's round of racing in Budapest, the Spaniard had singled out the Hungaroring as one of several venues – along with Monaco and Singapore – where Aston Martin could possibly challenge Red Bull.

But F1 teams' preparations were unsettled on Friday due to a washed-out first practice session, while Alonso clocked in eighth fastest in yesterday's FP2.

"It was obviously a compromised day with FP1 being wet so there was a shorter time for everybody to set up the car," the two-time world champion explained.

"But we maximised the car going into FP2 and the race conditions.

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"I'd prefer dry [conditions] as normally in wet conditions you are gambling on which tyres and the track conditions. In the dry, you usually get the position you deserve.

"Generally, I am quite happy with today and we'll see what we can do in qualifying."

©AstonMartin

On the other side of the Aston garage, Lance Stroll said the team's AMR23 was still a work in progress in terms of optimizing the car's set-up.

"We had limited running in FP1, only recording about 10 laps due to the heavy rainfall," he said. "FP2 became busier with a few different test items to run on the AMR23.

"Thankfully, the rain held off and we got a good number of laps in and worked through a decent amount of the programme.

"I think there are still a few changes we can make ahead of Qualifying, so we’ll work through our learnings tonight and look forward to tomorrow."

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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.

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