Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton battles for pole position in qualifying for the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest today (Saturday).

The 30-year-old Mercedes AMG Petronas racer from Hertfordshire was fastest in both of Friday’s practice sessions in Hungary.

His Silver Arrows colleague Nico Rosberg was second on the timesheets in the morning and then fourth after lunch.

After second practice Hamilton said: “I’m starting to think this might be my favourite track.

“It’s so fun to drive with the combination of corners and undulations. The way it all flows together just feels old school.”

After the fast sweeps of Silverstone, the Hungaroring is the slowest permanent circuit on the F1 calendar.

The track is tortuously twisting and narrow, and has few fast corners.

To be competitive, a car needs to have aerodynamic stability and good traction.

The Hungaroring was the first circuit in the world to be built specifically for Formula 1.

It was completed in just nine months ahead of its first grand prix in August 1986 and it’s been a permanent fixture ever since.

Only six tracks on this year’s schedule have staged more grands prix than this 4.381km/2.722-mile track.

With an average speed of just 190km/h (118mph), the Hungaroring rewards low-speed traction.

However, grip levels are poor early in the weekend because the asphalt is usually very dusty and slippery.

As one would expect on a track where overtaking is difficult, the start of the race is crucial.

There are two DRS zones, located on consecutive straights at the beginning of the lap.

This should help overtaking, but a good grid position remains crucial because the track is narrow and it is relatively easy for a driver to defend his position.

It’s advantageous to line up on the clean side of the grid, and the run to the first corner is 610 metres – the fourth longest of the year – so there’s a lot of jostling for position on the approach to Turn One.

On nailing the perfect hot lap in qualifying, Hamilton said: “The weather is usually fantastic in Hungary and the circuit is quite an old-school layout, so it’s got plenty of great characteristics.

“You start the lap with DRS across the pit straight, which is actually quite short compared to a lot of other tracks.

“You’re then late on the brakes into the right-hander of Turn One, ideally hitting the apex right in the middle, then hard on the power and opening the DRS once again on exit.

“You have to brake really deep into the left-handed Turn Two and really hug the apex, with a good line crucial to allow you to go flat-out through the right-hander at Turn Three – using all of the kerb on exit.

“It’s really hard to see the apex at Turn Four, which arrives very quickly and is another really fast corner. Turn Five is then a bit slower – heading back to the right and with a bumpy surface on exit which can easily lead to oversteer moments.”

Two-time world champion Hamilton continued: “A good run through the Turn Six / Seven chicane needs you to take all the available kerb through the first part and then get hard on the power out of the second – leading into a really nice left-right-left-right sequence at Turns Eight, Nine, 10 and 11. You have to be really patient through here, as a good rhythm is important.

“Finally, you’re into the last sector – beginning with Turn 12. There is a lot of grip on the way into this corner, which requires minimum kerb contact on entry but maximum on exit.

“You need patience once more through Turn 13, which you almost have to make into a ‘vee’ for the best line, and again through the final corner, Turn 14, which is crucial for a good run down the straight.”

Hamilton’s Mercedes colleague Rosberg, last year’s Hungarian pole-sitter, said: “It’s a tough track on the driver – narrow, very twisty and usually very hot.

“It’s one of those circuits where you can really show your skill and that makes it a good challenge.

“The race here last year wasn’t ideal for me in the end – but it’s a proper circuit, in a beautiful city, with big crowds always filling the grandstands, so I’m looking forward to it and hoping bring home a stronger result this time around.”

Of the circuit, McLaren-Honda technical director Tim Goss added: “The Hungaroring is a great little racetrack.

“It has lots of corners and very few straights, which puts the focus on aerodynamics.

“You run the car in maximum downforce trim, but many of the corners are in fact medium-speed, not slow-speed, so you need a car that delivers very consistent downforce.

“If you can achieve good levels of downforce from corner entry through to corner exit, you can achieve a good balance and that’s more important than the amount of drag the car produces.”

Qualifying in Hungary takes place today (Saturday) from 1pm BST, with the race starting at the same time on Sunday afternoon.