Hungarian Grand Prix - preview

A few years ago Kimi Raikkonen lost his drivers' license in Budapest. That's the story that did the rounds the next day. He must have been speeding, they speculated. Or drunk. Well, the latter is true, but he was nowhere near a car. Instead he was aboard a boat party, cruising down the Danube. He was in an effervescent mood, sat in the VIP room. So he stood up on a sofa and started swirling his man-bag over his head, showering the gathered guests - I among them - with cash, credit cards, his passport and, yes, his license. He then relieved a David Coulthard fan of his bagpipes!

Typical Kimi, you might say, but this isn't normal on a grand prix weekend. Ordinarily the drivers and team personnel jet off straight after the chequered flag.

The Hungarian Grand Prix is different to most races. Here, everyone stays on whether they won the race or crashed out. That's because the Budapest weekend marks the start of a three week break, when we can all go on holiday and recharge our batteries before knuckling down again in Valencia. So there are as many legends made here off track as on.

Red Bull's parties are particularly famous. I remember in 2005 - the team's inaugural season - when they hosted a party on the Citadel for 2,000 of their friends. Five thousand showed up!

I don't even remember Red Bull Racing doing particularly well that day. This Sunday, however, the team are odds-on favourites for victory, off the back of one-two finishes in Britain and Germany.

Jenson Button and his Brawn team are under huge pressure. They have a big lead in the championship - Button leads Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel by 21 points - but that lead is being eroded, and there are still 80 points to play for.

At Silverstone and the Nurburgring we experienced low track temperatures which were a problem for the Brawn car - it struggles to generate heat into its tyres. In Hungary, that is unlikely to be a problem. What's more, the Brawn loves low-speed corners. It dominated in Monaco, which shares its characteristics with the Hungaroring. And Jenson is confident here, having won his first race in Hungary three years ago. Also, Brawn have arrived with some major aero upgrades.

Jenson may be leading the championship, but he's still racing his team mate Rubens Barrichello. The veteran Brazilian has said he will fight to the end, even though he's yet to win this year. After the race in Germany he scolded the team for making a "good show of how to loose a race". This comment did not go down well with team boss Ross Brawn.

Vettel and Webber, too, are fighting. "Both men are treated with total fairness within the team and are supplied with identical equipment," confirms team principal Christian Horner. "I think it's only now we are seeing Mark at the level of fitness he was at prior to his injury [sustained in a bicycling accident in the winter] and his recent results show he is absolutely on the form of his life. Sebastian is a prodigious talent who will continue to get better."

Truer words have rarely been said. Vettel is a superstar who loathes to finish second. In Germany, he was clearly furious with himself that he'd been beaten by his team mate. He will be going all-out this weekend to beat Webber, close the gap to Button, and claim this title as his own.

Ross Brawn, however, believes his team still hold an advantage: "The team has faced many challenges to arrive where we are today and I am confident that we have the people and resources, plus two excellent drivers, to respond and fight to maintain our position."

This will be a fascinating race, as we'll get to see just how much ground Red Bull have made. On the face of it, the conditions should be perfect for Brawn. If they're beaten here, therefore, this championship may be snatched from their grasp. The evidence does now point to the RB5 - previously notable for its high-speed cornering prowess - being the complete all-rounder. Vettel took 18 points from the last two rounds, Button just seven.

If Red Bull do regain more ground, just imagine the party. And whether Raikkonen scores in the resurgent Ferrari or not, I'm sure he'll turn up for a drink and dance on the furniture.