A superb Hungarian GP provided a real shot in the arm for the sport as we headed into the summer break. The result was also a boost for all the folk at McLaren and Honda, and while no one is under any illusions about the current performance of the package, Fernando Alonso nevertheless earned that fifth place. With Jenson Button also making the points some valuable data was logged. I note that the two McLaren drivers were also among the few finishers to avoid penalties of one kind of another. A sign perhaps that experience is always worth paying for!

We first went to Budapest back in 1986, and so this year’s event was the 30^th Hungarian GP. The landmark was acknowledged by the organisers, albeit in a fairly low-key way, amid the emotion surrounding the recent death of Jules Bianchi. They did however use the occasion to announce a much-needed programme of upgrades to the circuit.

As well as resurfacing the track itself they will pay some attention to the grandstands – I understand that this year one was in a such a state of disrepair that it was closed and hidden by a giant anti-drinking message from Bernie Ecclestone! And eventually there will be new race control and pit buildings, an update that is sorely needed given that little has changed since 1986.

While the facilities have what you might call “character” there’s no escaping the fact that every F1 venue has to keep up with the times if it is to hold onto a Grand Prix date, even if Ecclestone does have an obvious soft spot for the place.

It was of course Bernie who first took us to Hungary. He’d been trying for a while to find a venue in Eastern Europe in order to expand the sport’s reach, but given that the Iron Curtain was still very much in place at that time, it wasn’t easy. Moscow was always high on his priority list, but in the end he made it work in Hungary.

At the time few people were aware of the country’s motor sporting history. However a certain Ferenc Szisz won the first ever race to carry the title “Grand Prix” on dusty roads in France back in 1906, while Budapest hosted the greats of the pre-war era when Nepliget (or People’s) Park hosted a Hungarian GP in 1936. That year the great Tazio Nuvolari won for Alfa, beating the mighty German teams. That result was perhaps a precursor of the sort of drama that the current track has so often produced.

The city parkland track was used again after the war, and indeed was apparently in operation until as late as 1972. While international visitors were rare, some big names took part in European Touring Car events.

Ecclestone began exploring the possibility of taking F1 to Hungary when he made his first trip there in the summer of 1983. These days would-be promoters are lining up outside his office, if you believe all the stories about potential future venues. However, Bernie went to Budapest on his own initiative, and only at the suggestion of a friend – one of the Brazilian GP promoters in fact – who had roots in the country. It was Bernie who contacted the government, and not the other way around, which is how things are these days… 

The initial plan was to hold a street race in Varosliget Park, another venue that had once been used for racing. Indeed at one stage a city race was set to be run in 1984, but it was ultimately rejected on environmental grounds. Plan B was a return to Nepliget Park, where Nuvolari had raced, but once again it was blocked for similar reasons. Years later Bernie would be more successful with a similar scheme in Melbourne, when Albert Park was revived as a racing venue in 1996 after a break of 37 years.

With the proposed park venues off-limits the Hungarian promoters took the only possible course, which was to find some land and build a track from scratch. And they did just that, with the support of the government. After a dozen possibilities were explored a suitable site was duly located some 20 minutes up the M3 motorway, itself just four years old, at Mogyorod. Sadly for the local council’s PR man you have probably never heard that name, given that the track was handed the generic moniker of the Hungaroring!

The track was built in just seven months at a cost of what was claimed at the time to be £3m, and the bill for the whole project was £5.3m. Even allowing for three decades of inflation those are modest amounts compared to what has to be spent these days in building a new venue and getting a Grand Prix off the ground.

We didn’t know what to expect when we first ventured to Hungary for that 1986 race – perhaps our view of socialist countries had been coloured by too many spy movies! But we were to be pleasantly surprised when we finally arrived after a road trip from Vienna, our progress having been interrupted by a delay at the border crossing.

The streets may have been thronging with noisy Trabants, Ladas, Skodas and Wartburgs, and the city turned out to be full of stunning buildings, even if they were hidden under decades of grime. Inevitably the hotels and restaurants had their limitations, and making a simple telephone call proved to be a challenge. However, we were impressed when the Hilton waiters delivered room service breakfast while wearing evening dress! The overriding impression was that the people were friendly, and we were pleasantly surprised by the welcome and the obvious enthusiasm for the sport.

In 1986 tickets cost £13, seemingly a bargain by today’s standards – but apparently the Hungarian weekly wage back then was around £75, so it was quite a big commitment for the locals.  Nevertheless a crowd estimated at over 200,000 showed up, with many coming from neighbouring countries. These people had never had the chance to see F1 cars before, and nor had the millions of TV viewers in places like the USSR, Poland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria, for whom Hungary was a first opportunity to see a Grand Prix in their living rooms. And that of course was what Bernie’s master plan was all about.

As for the track itself, it was located in a natural bowl, affording great views for spectators. However, it was incredibly slippery, and impossibly tight and slow. As such it came as a shock in an era of fast and largely unspoiled venues such as Hockenheim, Imola, Paul Ricard, Mexico City, Silverstone and the Osterreichring. The track was improved a little when the silly chicane at Turn 3 was by-passed in 1989, but its essential character has remained unchanged.

And that in retrospect is probably a good thing. Hungary was different from the norm then, and it remains so today, and that’s part of its charm. Every year F1 goes there knowing that the track’s slow nature, low-grip surface and the hot weather can combine to mix things up a little. Sometimes a bit of rain is added to the recipe, although we had to wait 20 years for the first wet race, won of course by Jenson Button in 2006.

There have been a few dull Sunday afternoons, and the place has often been criticised for a lack of overtaking opportunities, but on balance there have been more memorable events than boring ones. And I should point out that McLaren has played a huge role in the race’s history, with 11 wins – more than any other team.

It’s reassuring to note that not only does the race have a deal to host the race until 2021, but the promoters are already talking to Bernie about an extension. Other much trumpeted events have come and gone – the likes of Turkey, Korea, India and Valencia are already consigned to the history books – but Hungary remains firmly planted in its traditional August date. Long may it continue to be one of the most enjoyable stops on the F1 calendar.

In the second and final chapter of our serialisation of McLaren legend Tyler Alexander’s autobiography, “A Life and Times with McLaren”, we continue his walk down memory lane with the start of a new era for McLaren, in 1981 after the formation of McLaren International.

Then came a change of direction, when the opportunity arose to set up a new team with his long-time friend and McLaren colleague, Teddy Mayer. Tyler was instrumental in the creation of the Haas Lola team in 1985, which despite many high points, endured more than its fair share of trials and tribulations and dissolved due to lack of funding at the end of 1986.

In 1987, Tyler went back to his native USA to work in CART with some of his Haas colleagues, before making a return to McLaren in 1990, to work alongside none other than a Brazilian driver by the name of Ayrton Senna.

From there, Tyler was lucky enough to work with a host of other McLaren legends, including World Champions Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton.

The extracts below document 27 years of Tyler’s incredible career, revealing fascinating anecdotes from a life lived well and truly behind the scenes of the glamour of the Formula One paddock. Tyler retired at the end of the 2008 season after a long and memorable career spanning more than 40 years, and is fondly regarded by those that worked with him as a true stalwart, pillar and much-loved member of the McLaren family.

On the new era of McLaren International: 1981 and the MP4/1

It seems there are many people today, including at McLaren, who think the M in MP4 was for Marlboro; where they got this idea is beyond me. The M was for McLaren, and still is. Marlboro was the sponsor and partner, and P4 was from Ron’s previous Project Four company.

…The momentum continued into the British Grand Prix, as Wattie and Andrea were reasonably quick and qualified fifth and sixth, with de Cesaris being quicker than Watson during some of practice. This wasn’t bad when you consider that the grid on this quick track was made up of both turbo and non-turbo cars, and that the MP4 was one of the latter.

I spent quite a lot of time talking to Andrea about staying away from Wattie for the first few laps to avoid having a mishap with him. By the time they got to Woodcote Corner at the end of the fourth lap, Andrea was very close to Wattie, who suddenly slowed to try and avoid an accident among the leaders at the chicane. Andrea didn’t see the trouble up ahead. When de Cesaris moved left to avoid Wattie, he looked up and went straight into the barriers! So much for my chat before the start of the race.

Watson, meanwhile, had come to a standstill but had managed to avoid contact. Once he got clear of the shunt, Wattie drove a quick, sensible race and got up to third place. When there were problems with the two cars in front, Wattie outlasted them both to win the race – the first victory for the MP4/1, and the third good race finish in a row for Wattie. It was a great effort from everyone on the team and at the factory, along with a very pleased Mr. Barnard and Mr. Dennis.

I don’t know why, but some people had thought Ron Dennis and his people would take away the feeling of being competitive again for some of us, but this wasn’t the case for me and the other hardworking members of the whole team, that’s for sure. I guess what they probably meant (or thought) was that Ron and John Barnard would take all the credit. Say whatever the hell you want, but with the MP4/1, a much better car was built and raced than what we’d had before. The world of motor racing is not always easy to deal with.

A new chapter: Haas Lola, 1985

Starting a new Formula One team requires the following: first, a lot of money. Then there’s trying to find a suitable factory in a convenient place, acquiring all the machinery and equipment needed (a somewhat relentless task in itself), and assembling a group of very good people who will have to work quite hard a lot of the time. And on it goes, as you will see as this story goes on.

Coming back to a Formula One project after a few years was going to be interesting and challenging. We knew that a huge amount of work was going to be needed from everyone involved.

…Neil Oatley had come from Williams to join us as a chief designer. Neil was followed later by Ross Brawn, who would be involved in the aero side as well as suspension design. John Baldwin was already there, and he was joined by George Ryton, working on gearbox design. D. C. Patrick Brown would make the model for the wind tunnel, with direction from Ross. He was known as “Dustpan and Brush,” as he was always cleaning up the shavings from working on the model.

…The main sponsor/partner for the team (which would run under the Haas Lola name, due to Carl Haas’s role as a Lola distributor) was Beatrice Foods, a worldwide conglomerate that found the promotional environment of Formula One ideal. Jim Dutt, a friend of Carl Haas’s, was the CEO. Mr. Dutt was also a good friend of Donald Petersen’s, president of the Ford Motor Company at the time. An engine deal was sorted out with Cosworth, who, we were told, were building a new turbo Formula One engine. Believing in Cosworth as we did, this seemed okay. The rather large stitch was that the turbo engine was not going to be ready until November! This would be just the beginning of a relationship that became very contentious.

…The warm-up on Sunday morning (in Monaco) went okay, but the fun really started as the cars got to the grid. We had the last pit before the exit to the race track, and I was finishing work with the spare car when there was a cry on the radio about a problem with Patrick (Tambay’s) car.

Patrick ran back to the pit exit, where we had pushed the spare car onto the track just before the pit lane closed. We only had one seat for each driver at the time, and Patrick’s first comment was, “There’s no seat in it”” I replied, “Just get in and drive the bloody thing to the grid!” While this panic was going on, several people had noticed that we had a rather large amount of ballast under where the seat would normally be, indicating immediately that we had a nice, light car!

…Despite all the problems, the car had quite a few good aero bits on it, thanks to Ross Brawn and Adrian Newey. At one point, Teddy had hired a young aerodynamicist named Mark Hanford who developed something called an “Aero Map” program long before anyone else knew what this was. In simple terms, it was software that helped you to set up the car after making some changes to the front or rear wing.

In Austria, there were some improvements with the engine, but the main problem remained: The increased boost pressure for qualifying only produced higher temperatures rather than power. Nonetheless, we finished the race with both cars in the points, even though one had a slipping clutch due to a gearbox oil leak. After a spate of problems in the earlier races, this really helped to improve morale. And it wasn’t a bad result for a new team.

The incredible skill of Ayrton Senna: Monaco 1992

Qualifying was the usual deal with an hour each afternoon, but of course the difference at Monaco was the first day of running was Thursday, with Friday left free. That first qualifying session had only been going for 20 minutes or so when Gerhard (Berger) had a big accident at the top of the hill, where the road goes left toward Casino. A front suspension failure was thought to be the cause, and Gerhard was lucky to climb out unhurt. The suspension wishbones were strengthened on Friday and he eventually qualified fifth, with a last-minute effort to improve on that resulting in a spin coming out of the last corner.

Ayrton also hadn’t been without his dramas. On Thursday he had been in a great fight for fastest time with Williams’s Nigel Mansell who had won all five races so far), and that was set to continue on Saturday afternoon. You could see that Ayrton was driving the wheels off the car, but it got away from him going down the hill to Mirabeau, where he backed it into the barrier. He got the car back to the pits (but only after losing the damaged rear wing in the tunnel!) and then used the spare MP4/7 to go after both Williams drivers. In the end he had to be satisfied with third, behind Mansell and Patrese.

On Saturday night, there were some issues with the T-car engine and it had to be changed around midnight; I’m not sure why it was so damn late. The next morning I asked Rick Goodhand, the number-one mechanic on the T-car, if he got any sleep. The answer was “No, I just went back to the hotel, had a shower, a couple of rum and Cokes, and came back here!”

There was constant work going on with the gear-change bits and software. I seem to remember that when the race cars were on the grid, I was finishing some mods on the hydraulic system on the T-car, as there had been a couple of Moo valve O-ring problems.

Gerhard retired with a gearbox problem while lying in fifth about halfway through the race, but Ayrton had been pushing Mansell as hard as he could for the lead. As Ayrton admitted afterward, “I knew there was no way I could beat him. It’s impossible with the superiority of his car, and we were in no position to win. But you never know what will happen at Monaco. So what I tried to do was go hard enough to be in a position to benefit if something happened to Mansell.”

That “something” happened on lap 71 when Mansell, whose car was acting a bit strange, stopped because he suspected a loose wheel nut. He came out of the pits just five seconds behind Ayrton, and the last seven laps saw some pretty impressive driving by Ayrton on old tyres as Nigel quickly caught him on the new ones. The Honda engine was a big help going up the hill and out of the tunnel. But it was Ayrton’s ability to make the car as wide as the Monaco race track that won him the race by 0.20 seconds.

After the race and all the usual “thank-you” stuff, Ayrton made a point of thanking the little group of us working on the gear-change project. He said that being able to keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times had helped him hold off Nigel for those last few laps.

I was reminded recently by Nick Cross that just after the race I told the McLaren management regarding Ayrton, “Whatever you pay this guy, it’s not enough.”

The cool, calm, collectedness of Mika Hakkinen on his way to becoming the 1998 World Champion

…After the warm-up on Sunday morning (at Suzuka), I was out in the back of the garage with Mika, Keke Rosberg, and Didier Coton, who worked with Keke as Mika’s manager, and became part of Lewis Hamilton’s management in 2012. Mika was feeling a little bumpy, which was a bit strange for him. Then again, there was a lot at stake that particular Sunday. When Mika asked, “What am I going to do?” Keke, taking a long drag on his cigarette, paused, looked at him, and said, “Just go have fun and drive the car as fast as you want. That’s what you do.” After a short pause, Mika said, “Umm, okay.”

The outcome of the race turned largely on Jarno Trulli stalling his Prost in the middle of the grid. That meant a restart. We were quick to get the cooling fans to Mika’s car – certainly faster than the Ferrari guys. This was quite critical because it’s a long, slow lap to the grid, and then the front row can be sitting there for at least 30 seconds. Anyway, whatever the cause, when Schumacher engaged first gear for the second time, the engine stalled. That not only meant another restart, but also being moved to the back of the grid for Michael.

Predictably, Schumacher charged through the field to third place and then picked up a puncture from debris caused by a shunt by two backmarkers. Not that any of this affected Mika, who led from the start, won the race, and became the 1998 World Champion. In the process, McLaren won the Constructors championship by 23 points from Ferrari.

Kimi Raikkonen’s understated brilliance

Although Kimi never really said a lot, those who thought he didn’t know a lot about the race car were very wrong. If there was something that didn’t feel right about the car, he knew it straightaway. At the early tests in 2003, for example, we had running some new software. Kimi hadn’t driven in the early tests with this software but the other drivers had. Yet when he came in after the installation lap, Kimi told Mark Slade that the traction control was not working like it had been before, and that something was wrong. It took the software people quite a long time to find and fix the problem.

…There were several good things at Silverstone (2004): the Beach Boys doing a concert, the 19B, of course, and Kimi, who always liked Silverstone. Plus our hotel had some of the best scrambled eggs around, which probably had something to do with the price they charged to stay for the race weekend.

After a bit of a panic on Kimi’s car after changing the ECU just before qualifying, he went out and put it on pole! Kimi led the race for 11 laps before a different strategy for Schumacher put the Ferrari into the lead, where he stayed. Progress at last! DC, meanwhile, was seventh after having a hard time all weekend. He was never real happy with the car’s handling.

One person looking nervous was Bob McKenzie of the Daily Express, who said he would run naked around Silverstone if McLaren won a race in 2004. Betting against a Finn and a Scotsman suddenly didn’t seem to be too clever.

Spa had a bit of everything offer – from rain in practice, an “oops” from Kimi at the Bus Stop Chicane in qualifying, and DC getting onto the second row.

A multicar collision at the first corner brought out the safety car for the first of what would be three appearances during an eventful race. Having started from 10^th on the grid, Kimi was on the move, picking off Michael Schumacher and DC when the safety car went in. By lap 12 he was leading as others ran into trouble, but his 13-second lead was lost when the safety car returned on lap 29. Kimi would teach Schumacher a great lesson in how to restart as he slowed down, thereby slowing the Ferrari behind him, and then went for it, leaving Schumacher struggling on his cooled-down Bridgestones. Then came the third safety car after DC had hit the back of Christian Klien’s Jaguar. Kimi had to do it all over again, which he did brilliantly – and Schumacher had no answer.

It was a great drive, with all of us holding our breath on the restarts, and the winning result helped by really good pit stops from the guys. It’s fair to say that Kimi’s drive and the result partly detracted from Schumacher winning yet another Drivers championship at that race. And Bob McKenzie was going to be running naked around Silverstone!

Lewis Hamilton’s masterful control in his championship-winning year

So we were now off to Brazil for the final race of the 2008 season, where the Drivers World Championship title would be decided. No sooner had we arrived in Sao Paulo that we were eating again! This time of course, it was the now-traditional Mercedes team dinner in Fogo de Chao, which was as good and as sociable as ever.

Perhaps not surprisingly, considering this was his home race, Massa was on pole. Lewis was fourth-fastest, with Heikki less than a tenth behind, our cars separated from Massa by Trulli’s Toyota and Raikkonen in the other Ferrari. As always seems to happen at Interlagos, it started to rain quite hard with about 10 minutes to go before the start. There was a bit of fumbling going on about the rain and whether it was going to last. Meanwhile, the system monitor got soaked and died, which meant I had to use the spare one at the last minute to download some new numbers.

But the real chaos would come very near the end of the race. Massa had led more or less all the way. Lewis, lying in fourth place, was doing all he needed to. Then the radar picked up some wet weather on its way. With five laps to go and the track becoming slippery, most people stopped for wet tires. Most people that is, except the Toyotas. Suddenly, things took on a very different perspective.

Everyone in the garage was asking, “Where the hell is the rain that the radar said was going to be here several minutes ago?” The order was Massa, Alonso, Raikkonen, Glock, and Hamilton. Fifth place would be good enough. But then with three laps to go, Vettel passed Lewis, dropping him to sixth – and out of the championship.

Massa crossed the line to win the race and, at that particular moment, the 2008 World Championship. The crowd and the Ferrari pits went wild, as you would expect.

Meanwhile, the rain had finally arrived and Glock, on dry tyres, slid wide in the last corner, allowing Lewis into fifth place. Holding his breath to keep the adrenaline under control, he climbed the hill and moved onto the long straight toward the finish line. The heart rate of those in the garage and on the “pratt perch” on the pit wall was rising rapidly.

Once he crossed the finish line, Lewis Hamilton, at 23, became the youngest World Champion in Formula One history. Being in the right place at the right time and now throwing it away sure as hell can do things for you when it really counts.

…It was a very emotional end to the race and the season, for both McLaren and Ferrari. Lewis had done all he could, and so had Felipe, who did a remarkable job of controlling his feelings on the podium, giving us all a lesson in dignity.

The end of an era

Oh, and one small note regarding the end of the 2008 season. Brazil was my last official race with McLaren. Though it wouldn’t be formally announced until the following spring, I was retiring. It had been 18 years since I’d joined McLaren International, and more than 40 since I’d joined Bruce and Teddy to help start the original team. One the one hand, 1964 seemed a long, long time ago. On the other, I thought of a great line that I remembered from when I was in high school, “The summer break seemed to go on forever, and when it was over it seemed like only yesterday.”

Click here to purchase A Life and Times with McLaren, by Tyler Alexander.

Enjoyed reading this article? Browse our heritage section for more stories from the vaults.

McLaren-Honda’s technology partner, SAP, help our Formula 1 team push technological boundaries both on- and off-track. In this series of short videos we bring data collated over a race weekend to life, giving you real-world comparative insights into the most technologically advanced cars in the world.

So if you’ve ever wondered how hot the brakes of the MP4-30 get when pushed to the limit, or how many revolutions the McLaren-Honda turbo engine can kick out in a minute, then watch the playlist above.

@F1Photographer Darren Heath delivers a stunning collection of images for each race in the 2015 calendar. View the Hungarian Grand Prix Gallery above.

A selection of images from across the weekend, as Hungaroring hosted round ten of the 2015 Formula 1 championship.

“Today, we respected Jules and we respected the sport”

Hungaroring, Sunday July 26

McLaren-Honda recorded its best result of the season today, finishing fifth (Fernando Alonso) and ninth (Jenson Button) – an achievement that earned the team an extremely welcome 12 constructors’ world championship points.

Our race started strongly – both drivers got away cleanly, and Fernando ran solidly inside the top 10 after the first round of pit-stops. Then, as the race started to fragment chaotically after the Virtual and actual Safety Car period, our drivers held on more resolutely than most. Having fitted fresh rubber only a handful of laps before the Safety Car had been deployed, the team opted to keep both drivers out. That meant that Jenson faced an uphill struggle to prevent faster cars from passing him in the closing laps. As for Fernando, however, his brake temperatures began to soar after his second pit-stop, and the team made a call to clear debris from his brake ducts (a stray tear-off visor was once again discovered) and – usefully – fit a set of Option tyres.

As a clutch of drivers were issued with penalties for pit-lane speeding, and a handful more conspired to tangle with each other, we found ourselves taking our first double points finish of the year.

FERNANDO ALONSO, MP4-30-01

“This was a very good race, and fifth position at the finish is a nice little present for the whole team, particularly as we’re not as competitive as we’d like right now.

“On the calendar, there are a handful of circuits where we expected our performance to be better – Monaco, Singapore, and here in Hungary, so we knew we needed to make the most of today. Critically, we did just that: it was a chaotic race, and we took advantage of every opportunity that came our way.

“These points are a good way to send the whole team into the summer break, but we need to further maximise our chances in the second half of the season.

“This hasn’t been an easy weekend for anybody in Formula 1 – the minute’s silence for Jules [Bianchi] before the race was very emotional, and it was very tough to get in the cockpit straight afterwards.

“But, today, we respected Jules and we respected the sport.”

JENSON BUTTON, MP4-30-04

“Fernando did a great job today. Fitting the Option tyre for the final stint was the right decision for him; I didn’t stop for tyres under the Safety Car whereas pretty much everyone around me did. That decision made it very difficult for me, because my used Primes were pretty old by the end of the race, and there were plenty of faster cars around me running fresher Options.

“Still, it was a fun race, and it’s great to get points ahead of the summer break. The accidents and penalties certainly helped us, but we still did a good job out there today.

“This is a step forward for us, but we’ll need to take another step if we’re to repeat this sort of result. Equally, the next two races – at Spa and Monza – will probably be difficult for us, but it’s good to see we’re making progress.”

ERIC BOULLIER – Racing director, McLaren-Honda

“Yesterday afternoon, despite our cars having qualified only 15^th [Fernando] and 16^th [Jenson], owing to unreliability problems, I said publicly that much better race performances were within our compass.

“Sure enough, today we saw exactly that come to pass.

“Granted, we benefited from a goodly degree of attrition ahead of us, and clearly our team didn’t build its illustrious reputation on fifth places and ninth places, but, nonetheless, the 12 world championship points we scored today represent a buoying fillip as we pack up and head off on holiday for the midsummer shutdown. 

“The first half of the 2015 season has been an extremely challenging one for all at McLaren-Honda, but we’ve supported and sustained one another throughout, and we’ll continue to do exactly that as, working as hard as it’s humanly possible to do, we gradually claw our way back to the front. And, lest we forget, our drivers have been magnificent both on- and off-track, today and every day.

“It’ll take time to get to where we want to be, we know that, but we’ll get there; that I guarantee.

“Finally, I want to say five more things. 

“First, today we saw a truly great race, which must have been hugely entertaining to watch for spectators here at the Hungaroring as well as for viewers in their homes all over the world. As such, it was a fabulous advertisement for Formula 1, which remains a magnificent sport, despite our occasional tendency to be critical of it.

“Second, I think we can be very proud of the way we all joined together this weekend, almost as a family, remembering and honouring Jules, whose absence many both here and in the wider world feel so acutely.

“Third, I want to send a message of solidarity to our dear friend Aki [Hintsa, McLaren’s doctor], who was recently diagnosed with abdominal cancer. Stay strong, mate, and keep fighting the good fight. We’re all rooting for you.

“Fourth, I want to say a big thank-you to the entire staff of McLaren and Honda, not only here in Budapest but also in Woking and Sakura, who have worked so tirelessly for so little reward thus far. Have a great break, guys; you really deserve it; success will come, believe me.

“Fifth, and last, but far from least, I want to pay tribute to our team’s many fans all over the world, who are the most loyal and passionate anywhere. Guys, your unwavering steadfastness is massively important to all of us, and we hereby publicly salute you. Truly, you really do #BelieveInMcLarenHonda.”

YASUHISA ARAI – Honda R&D senior managing officer – chief officer of motorsport

“The temperature today was significantly lower than for Friday’s and Saturday’s practice sessions, which changed the condition of the track drastically, so it was a difficult race. Furthermore, there were many incidents that made the race very hard to read, but we were able to bring both cars home in the points thanks to some brilliant driving from Fernando and Jenson.

“The settings on both the cars and the power units were solid, so this race was important for us in order to prove their worth.

“During such an eventful race, our drivers’ talent, the excellent pit-work and the quick thinking of the engineers shone through. They kept their heads down and pushed, and I’m thankful and happy for the good result.”