Bianchi death casts shadow over F1 ahead of Hungarian GP

Formula One arrives in Hungary this weekend on the back of one of the darkest chapters in the sport's history.

Not since the loss of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at Imola in 1994 has the sport had to come to terms with the death of a driver in a racing incident.

However, last Friday, Jules Bianchi succumbed to injuries sustained in a crash while driving for Marussia at October's Japanese Grand Prix, losing his fight for life after nine months in a coma.

Drivers set their rivalries to one side to unite in grief at the Frenchman's funeral in Nice on Tuesday, but they must now refocus their minds on the season as it edges past the halfway mark at the Hungaroring.

The weekend's events are likely to closely mirror those witnessed at last year's Russian Grand Prix - the week after Bianchi's accident - with a minute's silence to be held before the race.

But while some may have held a feeling of optimism for Bianchi's chances of survival on the grid in Sochi, there will be no mistaking the fact that F1 is a sport in mourning this weekend.

AROUND THE PADDOCK

A home victory for Lewis Hamilton at the British Grand Prix three weeks ago saw the championship leader re-establish a 17-point lead over Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.

But things have not all gone to plan for the 30-year-old during the extended break - created by the scrapping of the German Grand Prix - with the reigning champion falling foul of the Wimbledon dress code and being turned away from the men's final as a result.

Hamilton is looking to pay his own personal tribute to Bianchi, whose number 17 has been retired, and called on his Twitter followers to help him come up with a fitting sticker for his car and helmet this weekend.

Hungary also represents the first race since a host of rule changes, including new power unit regulations, were approved by the World Motor Sport Council.

PRE-RACE SOUNDBITES

"I will be carrying Jules with me in my prayers and thoughts, not only this race but for the rest of my driving days. I know he'd want us to race hard as he did, and so I will." - Hamilton.

"It has been a very emotional week. The drivers paid our final respects to Jules and said farewell. He was a very talented driver and a good guy. My thoughts in these days are with his family and close friends." - Rosberg.

"The circuit is very different from the last few because it’s much tighter with more medium and slow speed corners, but our development has been focused on tracks like this and generating higher downforce. We should be looking to have a strong weekend and to build on the good momentum we have built." - Williams' Valtteri Bottas.

THE CIRCUIT

A relatively slow but corner-heavy circuit, the narrow Hungaroring presents drivers with a challenge different to most rounds on the F1 calendar, with overtaking particularly tricky.

The track's proximity to the Hungarian capital of Budapest makes it a popular stop-off for scores of F1 fans.

WEATHER FORECAST

With very little rain forecast for the weekend, drivers are more likely to have to contend with long spells of uninterrupted sunshine, with temperatures pushing 30C. GRAND PRIX GOLD The Hungaroring holds special memories for McLaren duo Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, who each earned their first career victories on the track in 2003 and 2006 respectively. Alonso's triumph made him the youngest F1 race winner of all time until he was surpassed by Sebastian Vettel in 2008. Those wins for Alonso and Button must seem like a distant memory now, though, with the pair languishing in the lower reaches of the drivers' standings, propped up only by Manor's Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi.