2012 Nurburgring Formula 1 Gp

2012 HOCKENHEIM CIRCUIT INFORMATION AND RACE PROGRAM

The 2012 German Formula One Grand Prix

Hockenheim lost much of its character, when its layout was changed during 2002, abandoning the long blasts into the surrounding forest, which was its signature. The straights might have been unique but they were also spooky and dangerous, especially in the rain. It was on one of these straights, the Hardtwald Straight leading to the Ostkurve, that Jim Clark the twice world champion, lost his life on rainy 7th April 1968, when he crashed into a tree with his Formula 2 Lotus Ford 48. The changes have, though, provided better racing and improved safety.

During 2002 the German organisers decided to emasculate the circuit of its long straights and focus the circuit around the stadium amphitheatres. The resulting circuit is no longer a flat-out blast into the forest; instead the racing circuit is now tighter, but has retained a nice flow with some possible overtaking opportunities. But what makes this unlike any other circuit is its massive concrete Stadium Section, invariably filled with 100,000 klaxon-bearing Michael Schumacher fans.

HOCKENHEIM CIRCUIT INFORMATION

General information

The race at Hockenheim is the home Grand Prix events for both Michael Schumacher and Toyota, as well as the second home Grand Prix for Mercedes-Benz. A few thousand employees will travel to the Hockenheimring from Stuttgart, which is just an hour's drive away, to watch Team McLaren Mercedes in action. Although the circuit no longer carries the challenge of seeing cars with minimum downforce settings attacking the stadium section, it retains some of the characteristics that made it stand out over the years. In particular the crowd can form a voluble presence and they are often credited with pushing their favoured drivers to gain a half second per lap.

There is always a strong chance of showers, which for obvious reasons will liven up the race weekend considerably.

What the drivers say

Hockenheim is a high downforce racing circuit, but the drivers must compromise their set-up to ensure a high top speed. This is especially important in the best overtaking spot of the circuit, towards the end of the long Parabolika between Turn 2 and the wide hairpin at Turn 3. To do this successfully, the cars will also require good braking stability. Equally the tight nature of many of the corners, often preceded by short straights, places a huge strain on the brakes.

The smooth circuit surface and hotter temperatures create problems for the tyre manufacturers, the tyres slide more and soon overheat, which leads to blisters. Additionally the lack of grip and tyre issues steer the teams away from two stop strategies, as the tyre degradation and traction issues with a heavy fuel load make it slower. The lack of grip and heavy braking also lends itself to driver errors and leads to opportunities for overtaking, as proven during the race.

RACING PROGRAM AND EVENT INFORMATION

Although not yet finalised for 2012 we have included last year's Formula 1 GP racing program, to give you an idea of what the event timetable should look like. We do not expect any other major changes from the 2010 GP program and information, but so please take note that the following program is the last year's Formula 1 program information, and it could change for 2012.