The Driver's Eye: Hungary

Following his horrible accident at Le Mans, Sky Sports F1's Anthony Davidson made his welcome return to broadcasting duties on the SkyPad for last week's Germany GP. But Ant's not quite fit enough to travel to Hungary - and he's not at all happy about it...

Although I'm back on my feet and loved getting back on the SkyPad on Sunday, I'm still not quite fit enough to travel just yet so I won't be part of the Sky Sports F1 team in Hungary this weekend - which I'm particularly disappointed about because in my opinion this is definitely one of the best races on the calendar. It's a circuit which holds a special memory for me because it was at the Hungaroring where I made my F1 grand prix debut in 2002. That was a real baptism of fire, turning up mid-season and driving a Minardi car that was a real handful. But looking back, I'm also aware that I probably didn't give the circuit the respect that I give it now and didn't fully appreciate that a driver really needs to be on the top of their game to do well here. That's probably why we quite often see such a big disparity between team-mates at the Hungaroring despite the lap itself being relatively short. But first and foremost, this is a great event with an awesome vibe throughout. It's based on the outskirts of a great city - most of the team personnel will be staying in Budapest through the weekend - and is a venue that because of its relative low cost and accessibility always attracts a huge fanbase. It feels very much like a melting pot of Europe - look out for a lot of Finnish flags this weekend with a lot of support for Kimi Raikkonen, while Vitaly Petrov also tends to have a big following here. With the city so nearby, and the weather generally pretty good, the result is always a great atmosphere throughout the weekend. And that atmosphere is carried over to the actual circuit because its tight and compact nature makes it feel even more crowded than it actually is. The track's very undulating and so when you stand at the paddock area, close to the exit of Turn One, you can look down and see a lot of the track, the landscape and the track's flowing nature - which is something that doesn't always come across on television. From a driver's perspective, the Hungaroring is a tricky, busy challenge which keeps you on your toes throughout the lap. People call it Monaco without the barriers and to some extent I agree with that label. You don't need quite as fast reactions here as you do at Monaco, but it's a very demanding lap and, when it's you against the car at the Hungaroring, very entertaining. I'm a big fan. It's one of those circuits that you can get stuck in to and have a lot of fun in the car - which makes it very rewarding when you get it right. It almost feels in the car like you're driving a big go-kart track because of the way you have to flick the car around, attack the kerbs and feel the rear moving around. It's a very technical circuit, but also one that rewards precision and bravery. However, there is a downside. All the things that make the Hungaroring so challenging and rewarding from a purists' point of view in terms of a driver taking on the circuit over a single lap and during qualifying then tends to become its downfall in terms of its raceability. It's not merely that it's difficult to overtake here but even overtaking lapped cars can be incredibly difficult. Part of the problem, of course, is that the circuit is so very narrow, but we also tend to see a lot of graining here, meaning that any cars that veer off the racing line, either because they are being overtaken or trying overtake, can be heavily punished due to the excessive marbling. But just don't form the wrong impression of this circuit. Hungary is almost as technically challenging as Monaco and has a huge amount of character. Just because we might not see a huge amount of overtaking doesn't mean that the drivers - and team strategists - aren't being challenged. AD Coming tomorrow: Ant's corner-by-corner track guide of the Hungaroring