Preview - Hungarian Grand Prix 2005.

Back-to-back race weekends mean there is no time off for the Formula One teams as they make the trip from Hockenheim to the Hungaroring for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Traditionally known as one of the most difficult circuits on the calendar at which to overtake, this weekend could be one where many of the headlines are made away from the track thanks to the new EU directive on tobacco advertising which is due to come into effect on 31 July - the day of the race itself.

The new law outlaws all print advertising, radio advertising and event sponsorship by tobacco companies from that date - with legislation in Britain meaning that British-based teams could face prosecution if images of them running with tobacco sponsorship are beamed into homes in the country, which could cause severe problems for BAR, Jordan and Renault, all of whom carry tobacco sponsorship from BAT, Gallaher and Japan Tobacco International. While McLaren currently carry West sponsorship on their cars, this is expected to be replaced by Johnnie Walker ahead of race day. Ferrari meanwhile are set to continue with Marlboro branding on its cars but it remains to be seen exactly how the tobacco backed teams react to the ruling this weekend - and indeed even more interesting to see what the reaction is to the decision they take.

Fernando Alonso will admit that he is a lucky man to be heading to Budapest with a 36 point lead over nearest rival Kimi Raikkonen in the championship standings after the German Grand Prix last weekend. Slower than Raikkonen throughout the weekend, it was Alonso who benefited when the cruel luck which has plagued the Finn at numerous races this season struck again to leave his McLaren parked at the side of the track and left Alonso clear to take a sixth win of the season.

The Spaniard now returns to the site of his maiden F1 victory back in 2003 when he became the youngest driver to win a Grand Prix and he admits that that will always make the Hungaroring a special circuit for him to race on. With temperatures expected to be high, reliability could be a key factor and that is an area where Alonso certainly holds an advantage over his rival. However with his lead as it is, Alonso will also be more than aware that he doesn't need to win every race between now and the end of the season in order to be crowned champion while Raikkonen has no option but to go all out for victory at every race.

Giancarlo Fisichella in the second Renault is another driver who enjoys the challenge of competing on the tight and twisty Hungarian circuit and is buoyed by his fourth place finish at the weekend when he made himself one of the most unpopular people in Germany with a late pass on home favourite Michael Schumacher. Fisi sees qualifying and 'durability' to be the two main things needed to be successful in Hungary and luckily both are Renault strong points. With both drivers going late in qualifying, they will be looking to start near the front and use the strong Renault package to ensure they stay there.

McLaren head into the weekend desperate to try and keep Kimi Raikkonen in the title hunt after his retirement in Germany allowed Alonso to extend his championship lead to 36 points. However Raikkonen is going to be in the back foot from the start this weekend with his Hockenheim retirement meaning he will be forced to go out first in qualifying when the circuit isn't at its best. Unlike Magny-Cours and Silverstone - where the Finn was forced to come through the field after picking up a ten place grid penalty for engine problems - the Hungaroring is notoriously tough for overtaking, meaning Raikkonen will have to utilise all the undoubted pace of the McLaren Mercedes package to ensure he doesn't end up trapped in the middle of the pack for the start of the race. As ever Raikkonen says he will push hard to make up for the disadvantage of going out early and will have a large Finnish crowd cheering him on - how well he does in qualifying could yet be crucial to the championship.

Team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya isn't a fan of the tight and twisty circuit in Budapest, but his storming drive from the back of the field last weekend at least means he won't face the same problem as Raikkonen of going out early in qualifying. Montoya has suddenly come good in recent races, with a win at Silverstone and second at Hockenheim and the team will be relying on the Colombian to take as many points as possible away from Alonso. The team wants a good haul of points from the final race before the mid-summer break and while the pace is there, Raikkonen might find it tough thanks to his Hockenheim misfortune.

Fifth and tenth place for Ferrari hardly set the world alight in Germany, but Michael Schumacher remains confident that the defending champions will be winning races this season. Hungary could be a good chance if Schumacher can get ahead, given how difficult it is to overtake, but realistically the Scuderia don't have the pace of Renault or McLaren and now seem to be slipping behind a resurgent BAR.

The man himself thinks that Hungary won't be the scene of his second win of the season and focusing on the races to come after the summer break - again taking each race as it comes and not making predictions on what the outcome at the Hungaroring may be. Team-mate Rubens Barrichello looked like he had turned a corner with a run of three podium finishes in Europe, Canada and America (admittedly in fortunate circumstances in the latter) but the three races which followed have yielded just two points and have seen the Brazilian struggle. This weekend things have to improve for Rubens as Ferrari need to have two drivers scoring points on a regular basis if they are to stand any chance of trying to reel in McLaren in the constructors championship - which is already a major ask on the Italian teams part.

Jarno Trulli had a race to forget in Germany as he suffered a puncture, a drive through penalty and then a late engine failure which leaves him going out earlier in qualifying this weekend than the Toyota driver would ideally like to and could hinder his chances of a good grid slot. That might be seen as a god-send to some of the other drivers who have been caught up behind Trulli in the last couple of races when the Italian hasn't been able to match his qualifying pace on race day, but the man himself remains focused on having a 'better' weekend than he did at Hockenheim.

Team-mate Ralf Schumacher will be out later in the qualifying session thanks to the points finish in his home race and the German knows how important that could prove to be. Overshadowed by Trulli in qualifying all season, Ralf knows that this weekend more than any other he needs to step up and deliver a fast lap when it matters with potential overtaking places at a premium. Schumacher admits that the worst place to be in Hungary is in the dirty air of the car in front which puts temperatures up even further so he knows he needs to get as far up the grid as possible if he is to score points for the third grand prix in a row.

Williams head to Hungary having again failed to impress in the last race with no points from the German Grand Prix but there is optimism in the team that Budapest will yield a points finish. The Hungaroring circuit is similar set-up wise to the Monaco venue where the team had its best showing of the season back in May with a double podium finish.

Aerodynamic changes will be made to the FW27 for the weekend but with the summer testing ban in place, these changes have only been tried in the wind tunnel and not actually on track so it remains to be seen what effect these changes will have for drivers Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld. Despite restarting the German race, the low attrition rate means Webber will be the second car out in qualifying and on a circuit where it is tough to pass the Australian will be at an immediate disadvantage. Team-mate Heidfeld has a good track record in Hungary, being the place where he wrapped up his F3000 title back in 1999 and as a result is looking forward to trying to work his way back into the points for the first time since the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.

Red Bull picked up more points in Germany thanks to David Coulthard, which was a noticeable improvement on Silverstone when the team seemed to be a little off the pace. This weekend, DC will be keen to add to his points tally and the team will be well aware of the need to pick up points on a regular basis with BAR now making moves forward and rapidly closing in in the championship.

With the rumour mill still in overdrive over who will get the second seat alongside DC for the 2006 season, Christian Klein needs to try and impress having scored just a single point since returning to the second seat in place of rival Vitantonio Liuzzi. With the possibility that the Italian could soon be back in the car for another stint as a race driver, time could be running out for Klein to do what he can to impress, making a good performance this weekend crucial.

A podium for Jenson Button last time out means confidence is high at BAR heading to Hungary, with the team finally making a move up the championship table. The recent race pace of the 007 has been a marked improvement and Button has started to show glimpses of the form which carried him to third in the championship standings in 2004. Although the Hungaroring circuit couldn't be much different to Hockenheim in terms of set-up, Button and the team are confident of again fighting near the front of the pack this weekend as they attempt to overhaul Red Bull for sixth in the constructors' championship.

Team-mate Takuma Sato would like to just bring his BAR home in the points, given that he is the only person - Minardi new boy Robert Doornbos aside - not to have scored so far this season. Bad luck has more than played its part but Taku will be well aware of the need to impress over the remainder of the season with persistant rumours circulating over who will be driving where in 2006. Although he failed to score in Germany, Taku will have a decent slot for qualifying and with the BAR seemingly improving with every race his aim will be to break his points duck and get off the mark this weekend.

Sauber see strategy as key to the result of the weekend, with technical director Willy Rampf stating that tyre performance will also have a role to play in deciding whether the team tries to go for two or three stops. Aerodynamics parts will again be introduced to the car and both Jacques Villeneuve and Felipe Massa are looking for good things from the C24. Villeneuve would no doubt be happy for his race to be a little less all action that was the case in Germany while Massa is keen to try and build on an encouraging performance last season. If the Sauber cars can qualify well, this may be a race at which they can at to their points tally given how tough it will be for others to try and get past.

Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro were again off the pace in Germany and there is no indication that things will be any different for the Jordan duo this weekend. With the new car still not ready to make its race debut, the rookie pair will not have the pace to make an impression on the field and are likely to spend the race battling with Minardi at the back of the pack. The only saving grace could be that the package has been reliable this season, with Monteiro the only person to get to the finish of every race held so far this season. If the Portuguese driver can keep that run going, and the hot temperatures make the Hungarian Grand Prix a race of attrition, then there is an outside chance of seeing a Jordan pushing up into the top twelve. Points however are likely to be just a bit too much to ask...

Minardi have edged ahead of Jordan on a number of occasions, but last time out in Germany was the first time the perennial backmarkers have done it over the course of a weekend. Christijan Albers in particular impressed on his way to 13th place - becoming the first Minardi driver in five years to beat the teams nearest rival in both qualifying and on race day. It leaves the Dutch man full of confidence going to Hungary, especially as his pace in Germany was hindered somewhat by damage to his PS05. Team-mate Robert Doornbos, having got his first race out of the way without major problems - bar an altercation with Villeneuve, will also be keen to take the challenge to Jordan and it again looks likely to be an interesting battle at the rear of the field.

Tyre wear will play an important role, even more so in Hungary give the fact that the circuit isn't used much throughout the season. High temperatures and low speeds mean Michelin are likely to favour a harder compound tyre for the race which should prove consistent over a race distance. However Bridgestone are set to go for a medium to soft compound for the weekend to help pick-up grip in the many slow corners. It will be interesting to note which company has called it right come race day.

And so to another pivotal weekend in the battle to be crowned 2005 Formula One champion. Alonso starts as the favourite of the two main title protagonists thanks to his better qualifying slot but the man to watch may well be Montoya who will be looking for a second win in three races and has the best car on the grid at the moment. Then again, given the tough nature of overtaking, Hungary could see Michael Schumacher up front for the first time proper this season.

Expect the unexpected...