Get ready for Round 12 of the 2019 season with our official race preview – think of it as your McLaren encyclopaedia for each race weekend.

Hear from McLaren drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, get insight from Team Principal Andreas Seidl, and learn more about the wider team with our Spotlight series.

Round 12

Where Hungaroring When 2 - 4 August Start time 15:10 local, 14:10 BST Laps 70

Carlos Sainz #55

“I’m looking forward to heading to Hungary and getting back into the car, especially after a good result in Germany. The Hungaroring is an interesting challenge to prepare for, as the track is very technical and requires precision and commitment all the way through.

“I’ve prepared well for the race and my target is to keep scoring as many points as possible for the team. I’ve been in the points at the last three races there, so I hope to keep the stats on my side. This is our final push before a well-deserved summer break for the whole team, and I’m hoping to finish the first half of the season on a high.”

Treat yourself Look the part this season with our 2019 team kit McLaren Store

Lando Norris #4

“After a disappointing weekend in Germany I can’t wait to get back on track, which luckily is only a few days away. The Hungaroring is a track I know quite well having raced there a few times in the past. I managed to get on the podium in both F3 and F2.

"It's also a track that I’ve already driven in an F1 car - I completed tests there in 2017 and 2018. I’m hoping to take that experience into the weekend and leave for the summer break with a good result.”

Hungarian Grand Prix SECTORS ON OFF DRS ON OFF

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal

“Following a chaotic weekend in Germany, we go straight into preparation for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Hungaroring poses a tricky challenge for the teams and generating high levels of downforce is crucial to getting our set-up right. It will be crucial to see what impact the track temperatures and tyres have when we get on track this Friday.

“Although the summer break is just around the corner, we are focussed on keeping our trackside operations at the highest possible level, and we must keep pushing if we are to maintain our gap over the rest of the midfield. In particular, we need to ensure the reliability of our cars, so that we give our drivers the best possible tools to do their job.”

Tech heads

Race distance 306.630km / 190.540 miles Distance to Turn One 610m / 0.379 miles Corners 14 (8 right, 6 left) Tyre choice Hard C2, Medium C3, Soft C4

Spotlight: Leeston Bryant

The spotlight is rarely shone on the team outside of the garage – but the contribution is no more and no less important. While a rapid pit-stop, bold overtaking move or decisive strategy call earn the plaudits, successes are just as dependent on engineering an upgrade in record time, manufacturing high-quality components, and carrying out stringent analysis and simulation. Every part of the operation needs to work in harmony to see progress on a race weekend. This is the ultimate team sport.

We are a team together. And these are some of our employee, partner, and fan stories.

When did you start working at McLaren?

I started working at McLaren in May 2018, so still a relative newbie!

Please can you tell us a summary of your job description?

My role at McLaren is Senior esports manager. It’s a tricky one to describe as esports is so varied, but I’ll give it a go.

It’s my job to manage all aspects of our esports programme: McLaren Shadow Project. That could vary from speaking to games publishers, organising qualifiers, filming content, activating at an event with one of our partners or helping our esports team stay competitive. Although my title is esports, it’s mainly all about project and partner management, event planning and marketing.

What do you love about your job?

Definitely the varied nature. No two days are the same. It’s also amazing to see long term planning and conceptual thinking come to life on a regular basis.

Last thing a driver said to you?

It was probably Lando saying he hasn’t had enough time to practice on F1 2019 so it wasn’t fair to put him up against our esports team! (Enzo Bonito and Bono Huis).

What’s the highlight of your McLaren career so far?

McLaren Shadow is a virtual racing programme that shadows our real-world equivalent. As part of the Season 1 finals, we tested the gamers in the McLaren 570S GT4 at Dunsfold.

There were some incredible moments that day. From one finalist telling me it was the happiest day of his life, to a driver coach being shocked about how good an iPad racer was in a real car. A memorable day and the perfect way to prove the concept of Shadow.

What is your earliest McLaren memory?

Probably that it was a super cool brand.

#FearlesslyForward

1 0 / 3 1 1 / 3 8 things you might have missed



Take a look inside the thrilling German GP Read More



2 1 / 3 2 1 / 3 Download the McLaren App



For the fans, by the fans Read More



3 2 / 3 3 2 / 3 Shadowcast: Ep 2



More from the world of McLaren esports Read More



