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German Grand Prix Tickets
22 July 2012 at 14:00 Local Time | Hockenheimring
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The German Grand Prix - Hockenheimring
Location
The German Grand Prix circuit can be found just to the side of Hockenheim, a small town located halfway between Frankfurt and Stuttgart. The nearest major city is Manaheim and interestingly this is where Carl Benz (who created the company that became Mercedes Benz) invented and produced the very first motor cars. In fact, a lot of industry popped up around Manheim and as a result the city was heavily bombed during World War Two. American troops occupied the area and have remained there with several military installations ever since. The region is also significant to archaeologists who found bones nearby that predated all existing evidence of human activity in Europe. The architecture around Hockenheim is quite special with a large number of castles, and this combined with its location in the Rhine Valley make it one of the most picturesque areas of Germany.
Circuit Origins
The current configuration at Hockenheim has only been around for five years but the old circuit's history goes way back to 1932. The track was built for motorcycle racing but Mercedes Benz expanded it in 1936 so they could use the facility for testing. The circuit consisted of two long straights that belted through the forest with a hairpin bend at each end. One of those corners was miles out in the wilderness but the other actually ran through Hockenheim, looping past the town's cemetery. This setup was discontinued in 1965 when an autobahn was built through the Rhine Valley cutting the circuit in half. The German Government financially compensated the track owners who used the opportunity to upgrade it to international standards. They added a few tight corners at the end of the lap known as the Stadium Section and this remains on the current layout today. The circuit was unbelievably fast so chicanes were added on the two straights after Jim Clark was killed there in the late sixties. Another chicane was built at the Ostkurve when Patrick Depailler was killed in 1980. This essentially meant the track consisted of four long straights that were joined together by tight chicanes. Each straight was over a kilometre long and this fast layout was deemed too dangerous, especially in the wet. The track was also poor for German race fans that would have to trek into the woods just to see the cars for a split second each lap. At the turn of the century a large portion of the forest was demolished and a modern track designed by Herman Tilke was constructed. This incarnation was used for the first time in 2002 and is deemed safer and more spectator friendly, albeit bland.
Description
The shortening of Hockenheim left Monza as the only superfast engine challenge in Formula One and it also put an end to the wild forest parties at the German Grand Prix. The new track bears no resemblance to its former self since the old circuit was the closest thing Formula One had to oval racing. The first half of the lap is still fairly quick thanks to the long straight that runs down to the back hairpin, whilst the rest of the track uses a combination of generic mid-speed corners. The circuit is dead flat and compact so trackside spectators can see most of the action from grandstand seats.
Racing History
The German Grand prix has usually been held in extreme European heat and that often takes a toll on machinery. The high track temperatures also create tyre problems and that turns out to be the most deciding factor over the weekend. Most teams encounter difficulty with their rubber during the race but the absence of a tyre war has levelled the playing field. Overtaking is possible at the back hairpin and there is typically a bit of craziness there on the first lap as the drivers try to find their braking point. The first corner has also provided plenty of action in the past but the wide tarmac exit gives the pack room to move. Some parts of the track are reasonably wide allowing drivers to pull alongside one another and there has been some great racing. Schumacher has taken three victories at the circuit but struggled massively in the other years when Michelin shod cars took easy wins.
Driving Challenges
The circuit is not really a big challenge to the divers whose biggest task is looking after their tyres. The final corner is a long right hander that is tackled under acceleration, and that is fairly difficult without traction control. A number of drivers, including Montoya and Villeneuve, threw their car into the barriers there with the TC turned on so someone will likely do the same with it turned off. Traction out of the final hairpin is also tricky since the exit takes drivers over a slippery rumble strip.
What happened in 2008?
There was no race at Hockenheim in 2009 because it now shares the German Grand Prix with the Nurburgring. The 2008 event went to Lewis Hamilton who won despite having his strategy ruined by the Safety Car. Lewis fought back from fifth to take the lead with seven laps to go.
Why Watch?
This is an interesting circuit like Bahrain in that cars can perform very well here but struggle at other locations. For example, in 2003 Williams won the race by over a minute but failed to show that dominance anywhere else. Renault also struggled in 2006 despite being highly competitive during the rest of the year. Such a turnaround could happen again, and the ability to overtake into the hairpin makes the first few laps very exciting.
Memorable Moments
2002 : Alexander Yoong failed to make the grid after setting a qualifying time that was more than 107% of the pole position time. Changes to the weekend format in 2003 meant it was the last time this rule was ever invoked.
2003 : Ralf Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Rubens Barrichello drove into each other at the first corner destroying their races, along with their championship campaigns.
2004 : Kimi Raikkonen suffered a spectacular rear wing failure whilst challenging Michael Schumacher for the lead, and crashed at exactly the same point as he did the year previous.
2005 : Jacques Villeneuve managed to drive into three other cars during the Grand Prix, clashing with Rubens Barrichello, Robert Doornbos and Tiago Monteiro in separate incidents.
2008 : Nelson Piquet was gifted second place by the Safety Car after running at the tail of the field early on. It was the only major highlight of his mediocre F1 career.
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