Magnussen: Twisty Hungaroring puts emphasis on quali

Renault's Kevin Magnussen says it is “very important” to qualify well for this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, given the tight and twisty nature of the Hungaroring.

The Budapest venue, which has been on the Formula One calendar since 1986 and secured an extension through 2026 earlier this year, is often compared to Monaco in terms of the challenge it presents to drivers.

“Yes you can overtake – turn one being the obvious example – but it’s not easy so qualifying position is a bit more important than at other places,” Magnussen said.

“It’s certainly a twisty track and it’s a little bit difficult to overtake there but it’s possible to have a good race there. I’ve had strong performances there in the past so I hope that will help this weekend.”

Renault has been struggling for overall pace this year but Magnussen snapped a three-race streak of Q1 eliminations at the previous round in Britain, though a gearbox issue curtailed the Dane’s efforts in a wet-to-dry contest.

“Last race’s result was certainly not what we’d hoped for so we’ll be working as hard as possible in Hungary with hopefully some learnings from the test that took place at Silverstone last week.

“It’s another race to look forward to and hopefully another race where we can push as hard as possible and hope for points.”

Magnussen has scored points once this year, with his seventh-place drive in Sochi amounting for Renault’s entire six-point tally.

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