Germany: Figures and Technical Data

This weekend, the Formula One Circus heads to Germany, to the Nürburgring track which hosts the German Grand Prix alternately with the Hockenheim track.

Besides the German Grand Prix, the Nürburgring circuit also hosted two other events, the European Grand Prix in 1984, 1995, 1996, and from 1999 to 2007, the German Grand Prix in 1985, 2009, and 2011, as well as the Luxembourg Grand Prix in 1997 and 1998.

If the German Grand Prix has been very successful for the country’s idol, Michael Schumacher, with 4 victories, it’s not the case for the new favorite, Sebastian Vettel, who has never managed to win in front of his home crowd in Formula 1 so far. Few races still elude the triple world champion German; besides Germany, the list also includes Hungary and the United States.

On the team statistics side, Scuderia Ferrari has been the most successful in Germany with a total of 22 victories, far ahead of the second team in the standings, Williams, which has won the German Grand Prix 9 times. They are followed by McLaren and Mercedes with 8 victories each (including 7 non-world championship wins for the star-branded team).

It’s not always easy to overtake on the Nürburg track, and as in Silverstone, the FIA has decided to implement two DRS zones on the circuit’s two straights with two detection points. Notably, Emanuele Pirro will be the FIA driver steward this weekend in Germany.

The Nürburgring from the chassis side

Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering at Sauber F1 Team:

« The Nürburgring is one of the most demanding tracks for drivers and engineers. There is a good mix of slow, medium-speed, and fast corners with several sections that require compromises in terms of settings and the driver. There are also some well-curved corners, which always makes it more challenging to find the optimal settings. Pirelli has selected the medium and soft tires for our return to the Nürburgring. Located in the Eifel mountains, there is often a risk of bad weather which could add an element to the mix. »

The Nürburgring engine side

Rémi Taffin, Director of Track Operations at Renault Sport F1:

« The Nürburgring is a ‘medium’ circuit with an average speed around 190 km/h. The four long straights require a good top speed, and we will pay close attention to the selection of final gear ratios. The seventh gear is used four times per lap, which is more than usual. These high speeds are counterbalanced by a mix of slow corners, like No. 1 and the chicane, where cars drive between 75 and 95 km/h. Therefore, the engine must offer flexibility at low revs, but also responsiveness and a lot of power.

Another parameter to consider is the altitude. This circuit is located in the Eifel massif, at an average altitude of 700 meters. Only Interlagos is higher. The amount of oxygen in the air is therefore lower, and the atmospheric pressure is also weaker. As a result, the engines will deliver slightly less power than at sea level. There are not only disadvantages to this: the demand is lower than on other circuits, allowing us to use engines that are on their third race.

Track conditions can change a lot over the course of a weekend at the Nürburgring. Even though the circuit is frequently used by other disciplines throughout the year, the fact that F1 only comes every other year means there won’t be much grip at the start of the weekend. Therefore, we will use less aggressive mappings at the start of the meeting to allow the drivers to be gentle on the throttle. We will then proceed with adjustments to return to normal as grip improves.

The Nürburgring from the tire perspective

The available tires for the drivers at the Nürburgring are as follows:

– Soft (yellow sides);
– Medium (white sides);
– Intermediate (green sides);
– Rain (blue sides).

Opinion of Paul Hembery, director of Pirelli Motorsport:

Surprisingly, the Nürburgring is one of the circuits where we have the least experience, having raced there only once in Formula 1, but we are confident that we have chosen the right compromise between performance and durability by bringing the mediums and the softs. These are the same compounds chosen for this track in 2011, but the tires are now softer and faster and we expect a shorter race time and three stops for the majority of the drivers.

The Nürburgring is generally not a demanding circuit on tires, but there are different aspects to consider in terms of tire management, such as the curbs in the chicane. We expect performance gaps of 0.8 sec and 1.0 sec per lap between the two compounds, which should offer a variety of strategic options.

For this race only, we will provide tires with Kevlar belts following the incidents at the British Grand Prix. Although the steel-belted version is completely safe when used correctly, the Kevlar version is easier to manage. Until there is a system in place to allow us to reinforce tire specifications such as pressure or camber (whose incorrect use was a factor in failures at Silverstone), we prefer to supply less sophisticated tires. Starting from the Hungarian Grand Prix, there will be an entirely new range of tires, combining the characteristics of our 2012 tires with the increased performance of the 2013 specifications.

The opinion of Jean Alesi, Pirelli ambassador:

The Nürburgring is a legendary name, but I personally have never found the new layout very engaging, even though it has changed a lot over the years. It’s a circuit that tends to be quite gentle on the tires, and the issue of tire management is not very significant: you just have to drive as fast as possible! There’s always a good atmosphere, though, with the fans being very enthusiastic, and I’m sure it’s still the same now.

There is a great variety of turns in the lap, and it’s mostly about finding the right rhythm and aligning everything in the most efficient way possible. I’ve always thought of the Nürburgring as quite a straightforward race: it’s not so much a big challenge as a test of precision, where you must avoid making mistakes. Starting from a good position on the grid and having a clean race can lead to a good result: you don’t often see big surprises. Unless it rains, and then anything can happen.

The Nürburgring in numbers

The 2011 German Grand Prix

Pole position:

Mark Webber in 1:30.079

Podium:

1 – Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)

2 – Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)

3 – Mark Webber (Red Bull)

Fastest lap in race:

Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) in 1:34.302

[Based on press releases published by the FIA, Pirelli, Renault Sport F1, and Sauber F1]