BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (AP) - Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso will seek to extend his championship lead at Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix and become the first Formula One driver to win four races this season.
Alonso has won two of the last three races _ in Valencia and Hockenheim _ while finishing second in Silverstone. After 10 events, he leads the Red Bull duo of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel by more than 30 points.
“I said that the month of July would be crucial, with 75 points up for grabs in four weeks and so far we have brought home 43,” Alonso said. “So we will try and finish the job in Hungary.”
The Hungaroring, one of the slowest tracks on the 20-race calendar, is the last event before a monthlong summer break.
He was the first driver to win a second grand prix, in Valencia, and Hockenheim was his third title of the series. Webber was the only other driver with more than one win this year.
Alonso won his first F1 race at the Hungaroring in 2003 while driving for Renault, so he has great memories of the slow track. He also has momentum this year, with five podium finishes in the last six races.
“I don’t want anyone to come to Hungary better prepared than me, physically or mentally or more motivated than me,” Alonso said. “I expect to go well in Budapest and there is no reason to be pessimistic. However, I am not forgetting that Red Bull and McLaren were quicker” at last week’s German Grand Prix.
Alonso also expects a strong challenge from the McLaren team, which has won four of the last five races at the Hungarian track.
Vettel said that despite the Hungaroring’s relative slow pace, “as a driver you shouldn’t underestimate it, as there are a lot of opportunities to make mistakes.
“It can be very hot and that means the track can be very demanding physically. In addition, the surface has many bumps which shake you around a lot.”
Webber was eighth in Germany, just days after signing an extension to stay with Red Bull in 2013.
“The Hungaroring is a good little venue,” Webber said. “Obviously, overtaking has not been easy on that circuit, but it will be interesting to see how the cars perform there as it’s a hot race.”
A high of 92 degrees is forecast for the qualifying session Saturday, while rain and slightly lower temperatures are expected during the race Sunday.
McLaren has done well in Hungary. Button won his first race here in 2006, with Honda, and will be defending the title on the track which hosted its first F1 One race in 1986. Teammate Lewis Hamilton won in 2007 and 2009.
Hamilton was fifth in the standings, and Button seventh. Both drivers have won a race this season.
“The result in Germany puts us right back in the hunt,” Button said. “There’s nothing better than a back-to-back weekender _ you return to the cockpit almost before you’ve unpacked your bags from the previous race, so it’s great to carry forward that momentum.”
The next race on the schedule is the Belgian GP on Sept. 2.
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