Budapest marks the 13th round of the Formula One World Championship, the last of seven meetings concentrated into a ten week period. After such a focused period of racing, the teams will be rewarded with a clear fortnight's break before racing recommences with Formula One's first visit to Turkey.

Following the team's strong performance at the start of the seven race calendar in Monaco and given the similar high-downforce characteristics of the Hungaroring, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team are anticipating an improved showing in Budapest.

Nick Heidfeld"I like racing at the Hungaroring a lot. The circuit has many corners and very little straights. That alone makes the racing physically tough. On top of that at this time of the year it is usually very hot in Budapest. The track off the line is always very dusty which means you loose time as soon as you leave the clean part of it. I have very good memories to the Hungaroring. I have not only won races but also claimed the Formula 3000 Championship there in 1999."

Mark Webber"The Hungaroring has been a pretty good track for me in the past and while some drivers aren't that keen, I like competing there. I find it a challenge, a bit like Monte Carlo, making it a very busy track for a driver, although there isn't much overtaking. Characteristically, it's quite a hot race and the track changes a lot over the course of the weekend. It starts extremely dirty on Friday as a consequence of not being used much during the year, but it cleans pretty quickly on the first day. Qualifying then becomes crucial because of the difficulty in overtaking. Also starting on the left hand side of the grid is very important because if you are on the right you have no grip at all. So there are lot of things which are very specific to the track in Budapest, which all the teams know. You need very good aerodynamic downforce to cope with all of the corners as well as understanding the tyres very well. I am looking forward to going there, also because we are always welcomed very well in Budapest. It's a beautiful city and when I find time, I've promised to visit in the city in winter. "

Sam Michael, WilliamsF1 Technical Director"Hungaroring is a technical circuit where it is crucial for the driver to get a good rhythm as the corners flow from one to another. It's a maximum downforce circuit where understeer can be an issue, so the setup must account for this fact. During the race weekend, the track changes a lot more than is usually the case as more and more rubber goes down from the F1 cars during practice.

We have a couple of aerodynamic improvements to the FW27 that have to come directly from the wind tunnel given the current testing ban. Michelin will bring two solid race tyres, tested in Jerez before the last GP. We are confident of improved performance in the car as we started to see over the last GP."

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):"At 48 percent per lap, the Hungaroring has the second-lowest full-throttle ratio of the season after Monaco. In Budapest it's the thermal conditions that drive the engines to the limits of endurance. In the high summer temperatures we usually experienced there, the valley in which the circuit lies generates a major build-up of heat. In addition, with the absence of long straights there's always the threat of insufficient cooling air. Depending on the actual temperatures, the cooling air outlets will be adjusted during free practice. Big openings lower the engine's temperature significantly, but compromise the aerodynamics. Based on the data recorded on Saturday and on the weather forecast for Sunday, we will find the best compromise."

"The Hungarian Grand Prix marks the end of a gruelling and demanding period of the 2005 Word Championship. The Grand Prix will be the eighth race within a ten week period. It will be followed by two GP-free weekends and a test ban lasting until the end of August- a break deserved by all the team."

Stats and facts:

Circuit/Date: Hungaroring/31st July 2005

Start time (local/GMT): 14:00 hrs/12:00 hrs

Lap/Race distance:4.381 km/306.663 km (70 laps)

Winner 2004: Michael Schumacher (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro)

Pole 2004: Michael Schumacher (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro), 1:19.146 min

Lap record: Michael Schumacher (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro), 1:19.071 min (2004)

F1 statistics: BMW WilliamsF1 Team97 starts, 10 wins, 17 poles WilliamsF1 pre-2000356 starts, 103 wins, 108 polesBMW pre-2000 97 starts, 9 wins, 15 poles

History and background:

The Hungarian Grand Prix has been staged since 1986 and 2005 is its 20th anniversary this year. The circuit has undergone repeated modifications, most recently for the 2003 GP when the circuit was extended from 3.975 kilometres to 4.381 km. The current variant is the longest Hungaroring in history. Even the original course (1986 to 1988) covered a distance of just 4.014 kilometres. The Hungaroring is situated about 20 minutes' drive northeast of the city centre.

Before the inauguration of the current Formula One World Championship, just one race was held in a park on the outskirts of Budapest in 1936. It was won by Tazio Nuvolari in an Alfa Romeo.

WilliamsF1 won the first Hungarian Grand Prix in 1986 with Nelson Piquet and has claimed victory in seven of the 19 GPs held there. Nigel Mansell secured his title in Hungary in 1992. The best results achieved by the BMW WilliamsF1 Team on the Hungaroring are two third places (2002 and 2003).

In 1873, the two towns of Buda and Pest on either side of the Danube were united. The chain bridge connecting them (1839-49) is as much a landmark of the city as the baroque royal castle that towers above the city on the Buda side. The Castle District with its narrow streets on the banks of the river has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the opposite bank, the imposing neoclassical buildings, green spaces and boulevards on the Pest plain make for a more open urban setting.

One in five Hungarians lives in the capital, swelling its population to two million. The city has prospered primarily from its location on the Danube trade route, as well as from its numerous hot springs. Budapest is the economic and cultural heart of the country and boasts a large number of universities and museums.