Formula 1 returns to action this weekend for potentially the last instalment of the German Grand Prix, which forms the first in a back-to-back with Hungary, the final sequence of action before the summer break. Motorsport Week previews the event.
History
The German Grand Prix can trace its history back to the 1920s, with the Nurburgring Nordschleife playing host to an exhibition of Germanic supremacy through the 1930s, as tensions rose in Europe.
Following the Second World War, and the resulting ban on international sport in Germany was lifted, the Grand Prix, under World Championship designation, returned to the fearsome circuit in 1951.
The Nordschleife became the home of the event for much of the next 25 years, aside from trips to AVUS (1959), the Sudschleife (1960) and Hockenheim (1970).
The latter of these alternative circuits was used while improvements were made to the Nordschleife as part of the wider safety drive of the late 1960s/early 1970s.
But the circuit gradually became more anomalous as the decade wore on and Formula 1 became more professional, and before the 1976 event it was decided that the championship had outgrown the circuit – that Grand Prix is now infamous for Niki Lauda’s near-fatal accident.
The circus decamped from the Eifel Mountains to Hockenheim, where it remained through 2006, bar a return to the Nurburgring, on the GP-Strecke layout, in 1985.
The Nurburgring, though, returned full-time in 1995 under the European (and briefly Luxembourg) Grand Prix banner, profiting from the popularity of national hero Michael Schumacher.
But by the mid-2000s both venues were struggling and agreed a biennial contract, with Nurburgring hosting Grands Prix in odd-numbered years, and Hockenheim evens.
A dispute over naming rights meant the German Grand Prix moniker was not used in 2007, while the event was not held in 2015 and 2017 after the Nurburgring withdrew from its side of the deal.
The contract expires at the conclusion of this year’s event at Hockenheim, meaning the future of the German Grand Prix is cloudier than it has ever been.
Circuit
Hockenheim used to be an outlier in the championship as a consequence of the low-downforce required for the iconic blasts through the forest, and the high-downforce needed for the ‘stadium’ section.
But that layout was abandoned in 2002 with the creation of an infield section that removed the forests, completely changing the dynamics of the circuit.
The lap begins with a fast right-hand kink at Turn 1, with drivers able to utilise the ample tarmac run-off on exit, before a short straight into a tighter right-hander at Turn 2.
A left-hand kink leads onto the long and curved full-throttle section that concludes with the hairpin, after which a sequence of right-left-right corners often permits side-by-side racing, in front of the imposing Mercedes tribune.
The layout re-joins the pre-2002 circuit at the exit of Turn 10 and after another short burst the track width narrows upon entry to the fast right-hander at Turn 11, with the nearby gravel adding to the most challenging section of the circuit.
The banked long-radius Sachs hairpin – with little run-off – and an undulating left-right lead into the final two medium-speed 90-degree right-handers to complete a lap.
“The track has a bit of everything: a very high-speed Turn 1 where the kerb comes into play, and the final sector which is very technical featuring a banked section, which is something of a rarity on modern Formula 1 tracks,” says Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley.
“The combination of the high speed flat parts along with the more technical bits, as well as having some cambered sections, makes it a very interesting lap to drive.”
What happened in 2017?
As per the biennial agreement, and with Nurburgring having relinquished its role in the contract, there was no German Grand Prix in 2017.
The most recent event to be held in the country was won by Lewis Hamilton in 2016, who controlled the race from the start, after pole-sitting team-mate Nico Rosberg bogged down.
Rosberg was penalised for running Max Verstappen wide in an attempt at recapturing the position, and a miscalculation meant his time sanction was incorrectly lengthened when he served it in the pits.
Rosberg thus finished fourth, as Red Bull duo Ricciardo and Verstappen joined victor Hamilton on the podium.
Hamilton’s win was his third at the German Grand Prix, having also triumphed in 2008 and 2011, putting him just one behind Formula 1 record-holder Michael Schumacher.
Rudolf Caracciola remains the most successful German Grand Prix driver, having taken six wins, all during the pre-war years.
Fernando Alonso has taken three German Grand Prix wins (2005, 2010, 2012) while Sebastian Vettel’s sole triumph on home ground came upon Nurburgring’s swansong in 2013.
Hamilton (2008, 2013) and Kimi Raikkonen (2005, 2006) have both taken two pole positions at the event, while Vettel topped qualifying in 2010, with Alonso fastest in 2012.
Other details
Tyre supplier Pirelli has nominated the Ultrasoft (purple), Soft (yellow) and Medium (white) tyres for this weekend’s event, missing out the Supersofts, the second time this year it has made a non-linear approach.
Either the Soft or Medium tyres must be run for one stint of the 67-lap Grand Prix, assuming dry conditions prevail.
There will be three DRS zones, one along the pit straight, between Turns 1 and 2, and along the back straight leading up to the hairpin.
ADAC Formel 4 and BOSS GP will act as the support series, with usual junior series Formula 2 and GP3 taking a weekend off before re-joining the pack in Hungary.
One Friday driver is set to be in action during practice – Force India tester Nicholas Latifi is to replace Esteban Ocon aboard the VJM11 for the opening 90-minute session.
Mika Salo, runner-up in the 1999 event, will act as the Driver Steward.
Weather forecast:
Friday: Sunny spells, 35°c
Saturday: Thunderstorms, 27°c
Sunday: Sunny spells, 28°c
Timetable: (GMT+2)
Friday 20 July
FP1: 11:00 – 12:30
FP2: 15:00 – 16:30
Saturday 21 July
FP3: 12:00 – 13:00
Qualifying: 15:00 – 16:00
Sunday 22 July
Race: 15:10 (67 laps or two hours)
What next?
The Hungaroring will host the 12th round of the season, the Hungarian Grand Prix, from July 27 to 29
