|
 Hamilton, winner at the Hungaroring four times in eight years and
twice in the past three, is the clear favorite as the double world
champion seeks to stretch his 17-point overall lead into the August
break.
The Briton and his rivals will also be racing with Jules Bianchi in
their thoughts after attending the French driver's funeral in Nice
on Tuesday.
"Saying goodbye to Jules was incredibly hard for everyone," said
Hamilton of a promising talent who died on Friday, nine months after
a Japanese Grand Prix crash left him in a coma.
"I wished I had known him better.
"Hungary is a beautiful place, one of my favorites. I will be
carrying Jules with me in my prayers and thoughts, not only this
race but for the rest of my driving days. I know he'd want us to
race hard as he did, and so I will."
The form book points to another battle between Hamilton and Mercedes
team mate Nico Rosberg, with the pair chasing their seventh one-two
in 10 races, but history offers some hope of a different outcome.
The race, now in its 30th edition, threw up a surprise last season
when Australian Daniel Ricciardo won for Red Bull, and has done so
before.
It may be just a statistical curiosity but the fact remains that
only English, Australian or Finnish drivers have won in Hungary for
a decade.
FINNISH SUCCESS
Raikkonen, who could be replaced by Bottas at Ferrari next season if
speculation is correct, won with McLaren in 2005 while compatriot
Heikki Kovalainen triumphed in 2008.
"I always have a lot of support -- it's almost a Finnish Grand
Prix," said Williams's Bottas, who has yet to win in Formula One but
was third in Canada.
"We should be looking to have a strong weekend and to build on the
good momentum we have built."
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Raikkonen was second in Bahrain, his first top three finish since he
won with Lotus in 2013, and apart from last season, the 2007 world
champion has been on the podium in Hungary every year he has raced
there since 2006.
Ricciardo is the only Australian on the grid, and Red Bull have lost
hope of winning until Renault provide a more competitive engine, and
may have to grin and bear it.
Jenson Button took his first F1 win in Hungary with Honda in 2006
from 14th on the grid, which remains the lowest winning start for
the race, but even starting that low will be a challenge this time
with Honda-powered McLaren.
Bianchi's death, the first since 1994 of a driver resulting from a
race incident, has put everything into perspective.
"Last weekend's sad news... means that the grand prix circus heads
to Budapest with heavy hearts," McLaren boss Eric Boullier
said."We'll all remember his life in our own personal way, but
Formula One will come together on Sunday to silently and
respectfully mark his passing."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by John O'Brien)
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