Formula 1 makes a welcome return to Hockenheim this weekend, which is back on the Formula 1 calendar after its second year off since beginning a sharing scheme with the Nürburgring in 2007. With the second half of the season now well underway, the German Grand Prix should act as a pointer to the championship battle in 2010.
Last time out at Silverstone, Mark Webber celebrated standing on the top rostrum step for (debatably) divided Red Bull as McLaren, somewhat incredibly under the circumstances, held onto both World Championship leads thanks to second and fourth places for Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
However, with the Woking squad having postponed the usage of its blown diffuser after Friday practice, the its full potential was not seen after having to start all over again with setup work on Saturday morning; with this in mind, fine-tuning the returning system is as important as ever on Friday morning.
The weekend is arguably even more vital for Ferrari, which is now worrying not too far off being three 1-2 finishes’ of points behind the championship leaders. The Scuderia now must, both technically and on the track, pull its finger out to retain any chance of winning the titles.
So, to Hockenheim. Like the British circuit which precedes it, the venue situated approximately 12 miles from the city of Heidelberg has changed greatly since its birth.
As of 2002, a more conventional, Hermann Tilke-designed loop connects the North Curve with the Stadium and South Curve, as opposed to the previous three long straights punctuate by tight chicanes which, despite being thrilling for us, raised many safety concerns and have since been handed back to mother nature.
The track first hosted a Formula 1 race back in 1970, as pole-sitter Jacky Ickx’s Ferrari finished second following a race-long contest with the Lotus of Jochen Rindt, with the Austrian eventually taking the chequered flag just seven tenths of a second ahead.
If history is anything to go by, the upcoming weekend could be handy for Ferrari, which has won the German Grand Prix 19 times – more than any other event on the F1 schedule – with the first being at the daunting Nürburgring Nordschleife before Berlin’s Avus track, consisting of both sides of a dual carriageway simply connected by two hairpin bends, yielded an historic 1-2-3 result in 1959.
Of those in the current field, four drivers have celebrated victory at Hockenheim as the locals watched on, often with hotdogs in one hand and a plastic cup of Warsteiner in the other. Michael Schumacher was the first, winning for Benetton in 1995 before enjoying two more home wins with Ferrari in 2002 and 2004.
It was a tear-jerking moment in 2000 as Rubens Barrichello crossed the line first on a day full of drama, becoming the first Brazilian Grand Prix winner since the late Ayrton Senna, much to the delight of the entire paddock.
In 2005, it was a typically cool drive to the finish for Renault’s Fernando Alonso as the Champion to be picked up another win when, in reality, McLaren should have been celebrating a 1-2 result that afternoon – much the case over the course of the season.
Lewis Hamilton, who led for much of the day, was forced to storm through the field due to a strategic error by McLaren following the calling of the Safety Car in 2008, denying rookie Nélson Piquet Jr. a maiden F1 triumph in the process.
This weekend, either of the current top two teams’ drivers could be celebrating on Sunday although one would have to lean towards the Milton Keynes-built cars at the moment. Ferrari must, crucially, also stay in touch and Williams looks set to spring a few midfield surprises with its latest updates.
Laps: 67
Record: 1:13.780 / K Räikkönen / McLaren-Mercedes / 2004
Local start time: 2pm (BST +1)
Slick tyre compounds:
Super Soft & Hard
Circuit changes for 2010:
- Extensions to kerbs and AstroTurf at Mobil 1 Kurve
- Two-row conveyor belt tyre barrier installed on inside exit of Mobil 1 Kurve
- Rumble strip at Sudkurve extended to end of concrete/grasscrete area, with AstroTurf laid behind it
- New conveyor belts fitted to third rows of all six-row tyre barriers
At a glance:
- Hockenheim pole position winners
- Hockenheim Grand Prix winners
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