Formula One's summer break is looming, with teams and drivers facing an enforced two week shutdown in August, and plenty of time off before the next race. That leaves us with the task of making the most of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, and as a back to back with Germany, the anticipation is rising.

The eleventh round of the 2014 season is unlikely to make any big impact on the fight for the title, but it can still deliver in many ways.

Event schedule

Lewis Hamilton's rise from the depths of the grid to the highs of the podium helped him limit the damage that Nico Rosberg's home win did to the driver standings. The German continues to lead, and the gap has extended but the fight is very much still on, and is looking likely to go to the wire.

There are plenty of battles going on behind if Mercedes don't interest you. The Williams boys have a fast car beneath them, even if Felipe Massa hasn't had much luck making the most of his. Red Bull are keeping tabs on the competition, and Sebastian Vettel is finally starting to take the fight to his surprisingly superior teammate.

Even further back, Ferrari and McLaren are still struggling, whilst Caterham have seen reliability struggles galore, and Marussia continue to look for a repeat performance of their Monaco points finish.

Support racing for this event includes GP2, GP3 and Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

Expected conditions

The weather predictions have been letting us down recently, with rain expected to affect the German race but no precipitation affected the action on Sunday at all. For Hungary, there's talk of rain on both Saturday and Sunday, which could mean mixed up action for qualifying and the race itself. Then again, it could mean absolutely nothing and the sun could shine throughout the weekend. Take your pick!

Track information

The Hungaroring has two problems that it has struggled to overcome in recent F1 history. Firstly, although not technically a street circuit, it is twisting and narrow with few opportunities for natural overtaking. Combined with the heat and dense conditions, the track is more of a reliability and endurance event than a fast and furious Grand Prix.

Secondly, the track doesn't see much use outside of an F1 race weekend. The tarmac is bumpy which makes life difficult for drivers, and grip levels are low when the practice sessions begin. Support racing and as much running as possible through Friday and Saturday morning help to clear up the track, but it usually takes until Sunday morning for the drivers to stop complaining about the slippery surface.

A lap of the current Hungaroring layout starts with a sprint to the first corner, a tight right hairpin that bunches up the field. It's heavy on braking with a peppering of sweeping corners and plenty of elevation changes. It's a real challenge to end the first half of the season, and make the drivers earn their summer break.

Circuit history

Both Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button took their first victories at the Hungaroring, the Spaniard's making him the youngest at the time to win an F1 race, and the Brit taking the record for the largest climb through the field to win in Hungary.

Although overtaking has proven very difficult at the Hungaroring, pole position isn't as important as you might imagine. Since 2005, the polesitter has only won on three occasions, and all three of those were Lewis Hamilton - in 2007, 2012 and 2013. The Mercedes driver has a great record around this track, winning four of the races he has raced there. Three were with McLaren, who in turn have won six of the last ten races.

Defending champion Sebastian Vettel has never yet won the Hungarian Grand Prix, despite his sheer domination of recent seasons.

Tyre compounds

This weekend sees the medium and soft tyres on offer for drivers, although if the weather does turn wet, they will have to bolt on the tyres with the green and blue sidewalls (intermediate and full wets respectively). The selection Pirelli have brought are intended to be able to deal with the compromise between slower, tighter corners and the more free-flowing turns. It's a difficult balance to strike, and Pirelli have been criticised for being too conservative this year, but the tyres should be able to deal with the track well.

Hungary is well-known for being a tricky layout, where it’s difficult to overtake and to find a perfect set-up for the whole lap. This means that strategy is especially important, as it offers a rare opportunity to gain track position. The tyres we are bringing to Hungary are a step harder, to deal with the increased demands, so we would expect the usual two pit stops.

- Paul Hembery

Press conference schedule

Official press conferences are organised by the FIA and happen four times during the weekend. The qualifying and post race press conferences will take place after the television unilateral interviews.

Race stewards

The FIA stewarding process includes a former F1 driver to offer added insight. These stewards are overseeing the weekend's action.