Tag: nurburgring

F1 2020: Eifel Gp Preview – F1 Returns to Nurburgring

The last time the Formula 1 paddock visited the Nurburgring was in 2013. Back then the sport was vastly different to how it’s known today. For one the sports was still running the 2.4-liter V8 and were standing on the cusp of switching to the hybrid power unit packages still being run now in 2020. There was some expectation that works team would excel in the hybrid era but no one could have foreseen the utter Mercedes dominance that ensued.

In 2013 F1 too was on the eve of welcoming Honda back into the sport after its so stunningly quit the sport three months before the start of the 2009 season. Seven years later it’s rather frightening how history repeats itself. Though they’ve given more notice than they this in 2008 Honda has again announced its intention to leave F1 at the conclusion of the 2022 season. It leaves Red Bull, and Alpha Tauri, without an engine supplier and it also leaves F1 in a difficult spot.

For Red Bull they’ll have to consider whether they want to go knocking on a current manufacturers door or even consider building its own engine. There is peril in both choices. For one they may, and probably will, get turned down by Mercedes and Ferrari as neither would want to provide an engine to a direct competitor. Designing and manufacturing an in-house engine is an enormous financial undertaking not to mention the resources required. And there’s no guarantee that it will work as needed straight away. Case in point is Honda who toiled under extreme pressure and were only able to reap the rewards years later. Heck, even the might of Ferrari’s resources can’t get it right.

If all options are exhausted Red Bull could revert to once again running Renault engines. The split between the pair was anything but amicable and Christian Horner and Cyril Abiteboul have nothing but a hate-hate relationship. However, the Concorde has a provision that just might save Red Bull. It states that the manufacturer who has the least amount of customer teams will be compelled to provide an engine should a team have no other option. In this case it will be Renault which will have no customer teams when McLaren switch to Merc power in 2021. It might be some time before anyone knows what Red Bull’s decision will be.

Back in 2013 it was Sebastian Vettel, on his way to title number four, that stood on the top step at the Nurburgring with Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean alongside. It will be some race if those three end up on the podium this weekend. Nevertheless, the Nurburgring is a technical circuit that comprises mostly of high-speed corners and only one or two obvious overtaking opportunities. The level of grip that a 2020 car produces will also shorten the braking distance and even negate some altogether which will make for a exhilarating lap. It may well be even more of an adventure as cold and, potentially wet, weather is predicted for the weekend.

This weekend also marks the 323rd race start of Kimi Raikkonen’s F1 career. It started all the back at the Australian grand epic in 2001 and was followed by glittering stints at McLaren and Ferrari for which he won the world championship in 2007. It also included a deviation to rallying and even some NASCAR in 2010 and 2011. The enigmatic Finn returned to F1 for a two year run at Lotus which was highlighted by a third place finish in the driver’s standings, a slew of podiums, and two memorable wins. The wins were elusive in his return to Ferrari before an outstanding drive secured him victory in Austin in 2018. When most expected him to hang up his gloves off he went to Alfa Romeo.

Though the Ferrari power unit has severely stunted the competitiveness of the Alfa in 2020 Raikkonen has shown that he’s lost none of fire or pace with some outstanding drives this season; not least of all in Mugello. Raikkonen’s so-called imminent retirement has been a story probably the last seven or eight years. And while he is definitely in the twilight of his career his prowess and technical ability means that it’s up to him to call time. But Alfa team boss Fred Vasseur wants the Finn to stay on and it seems likely that the Iceman, easily on the most beloved drivers on the grid, may well line up again in 2021.

October 7, 2020
Niki Lauda wins Laureus lifetime achievement award

Three-time Formula One world champion and non-executive chairman of the Mercedes F1 team Niki Lauda was honoured with the lifetime achievement award at this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards.

Lauda was presented with the award by Mercedes F1 team driver Lewis Hamilton and actor Daniel Bruhl, who played the role of Lauda in the 2013 film, ‘Rush’ about the 1976 Formula One season. It was the year of Lauda’s close fight with James Hunt and his horrific crash at the German Grand Prix, which left him with severe burns.

Lauda remains the only driver to have won world championships for both of the sport’s two most successful constructors, Ferrari and McLaren.

Lauda, who won the title in 1975, 1977 and 1984, said his award was a good reminder of the harder days he endured during his career.

Speaking at the ceremony, Lauda said: “Thank you very much for this award, I know it’s very important. But I want to say one thing, I’ve seen a lot of people here winning and losing. So I’d like to dedicate this award to the losers.

“Because I can tell from my own experience, winning is one thing, but out of losing I always learned more for the future. So one grows stronger in losing.

“One thing that is really worrying me is the world is not turning in the right direction. But sport should be the best ambassador for the future generation to get us closer together again. This is really important for me.”

Lauda’s legend also includes what could perhaps be the most courageous comeback in sporting history, as he returned to racing just six weeks after suffering horrific burns and being read his last rites following the fiery crash at the Nurburgring in 1976.

Tennis ace Novak Djokovic received the World Sportsman of the Year award, which Hamilton had been nominated for. Toro Rosso star Max Verstappen had also been nominated for an award – the Breakthrough of the Year award – which went to golf’s Jordan Spieth.

April 19, 2016
German Grand Prix Dropped From 2015 F1 Calendar

For the first time in since 1960 the F1 calendar will feature without a German Grand Prix after it was confirmed today by the FIA that it was being dropped from the 2015 Formula 1 Calendar.

The German Grand Prix alternates between Hockenheim and the Nurburgring each year. It was revealed in January that the Nurburgring’s new owners did not have a contract in place to host the 2015 German Grand Prix and that they could not afford to pay the hosting fee.

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said in January that Hockenheim is the only alternative to host the German leg of the F1 Championship but at the Australian Grand Prix he was quoted as saying “The German Grand Prix is dead at the moment. It won’t get replaced if it doesn’t happen. As with any race, if it is cancelled it is cancelled. There’s not much we can do.”

This was confirmed earlier this week after Hockenheim boss Georg Seiler told BILD that it was too late to step in at this point.

This resulted in the FIA dropping the race from the 20 race calendar leaving just 19 races for the season and with a gap during the summer period.

March 20, 2015
Hockenheim to Host 2015 German Grand Prix

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone confirmed that the German Grand Prix will take place at Hockenheim and not the Nurburgring due to financial reasons.

Hockenheim alternates with the Nurburgring each year to host the German Grand Prix but due to financial reasons the Nurburgring is unable to host this years race.

The date for the German Grand Prix was confirmed on the FIA calendar but no venue was set. Speaking to Reuters, Ecclestone said that they need to change the dates on the contract for Hockenheim. “It’s going to be at Hockenheim,” he said. “We just have to amend the years of the contract. It was alternating with Nurburgring so we’ll just take that out.”

The Nurburgring, as a host venue was cast into doubt in 2012 when the venue experienced financial difficulties and almost filed for bankruptcy. It looks as though Ecclestone and the new owners of the Nurburgring could not come to an agreement to host this years German Grand Prix.

January 15, 2015
F1 2013: German GP Review – Vettel breaks his German jinx

The 2013 German grand prix is one that will stay in the memory bank of Sebastian Vettel for quite some time. Bested in Saturday’s qualifying session by Lewis Hamilton the reigning world champion had it all to do in Sunday’s race.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished a tenth clear of Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel to take pole position for the German grand prix.

The biggest casualty of qualifying was teammate and British grand prix race winner, Nico Rosberg. An initial run in the second part of Saturday’s qualifying appeared to be enough for the German to advance to the top ten shoot-out. However, a late flurry of flying laps in the closing stages of the second session of quali pushed Rosberg down to eleventh and out of contention for the front row of the grid. The German commented that the team had “underestimated the pace of the track.”

Ever dependable Jenson Button managed to drag his McLaren into the top ten and continually impressive Daniel Ricciardo and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg advanced to the final part of qualifying.

But Saturday once again belonged to Lewis Hamilton. The 2008 champion pipped championship leader Sebastian Vettel to pole position but a tenth of a second. Former German grand prix winner Mark Webber will start third and Kimi Raikkonen, in the Lotus, fourth. Romain Grosjean and Daniel Ricciardo will start fifth and sixth ahead of Massa, Alonso and Button.

Acing the start was the easiest part of Vettel’s afternoon as he had to fight both the Lotus’ Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen. Vettel grabbed the lead of the race straight away and controlled the pace easily ahead of teammate Mark Webber.

The soft compound Pirelli tyres dictated early pitstops for the frontrunners and pushed Lotus’ Romain Grosjean into the lead of the race. Mark Webber’s first pitstop, on lap nine, took a dramatic turn as his right-rear wheel was not attached correctly. It bounced through the pitlane before striking and FOM camera-man, Paul Allen. The cameraman was being held for observation with a concussion, broken ribs and a fractured collar bone. Red Bull have been fined 30 000 Euro for unsafe release of Webber’s car.

A pitstop from Grosjean re-instated Vettel to the race lead but the German looked unlikely to maintain the lead under serious pressure from Grosjean’s Lotus. Nevertheless, the nearly ten second gap to third placed Raikkonen would soon be wiped out.

For what seemed like a fairly innocuous retirement from Marussia’s Jules Bianchi soon took a dangerous turn as Bianchi’s driverless car started to roll down the middle of the circuit. This prompted the deployment of the safety car on lap 24 and spurred a flurry of activity in the pitlane.

By the time the safety car pulled into the pitlane Vettel had both Lotuses breathing down his neck. Romain Grosjean tried his level best to overtake the Red Bull driver but it proved a bridge to far for the Frenchman who subsequently pitted on lap 40 for a fresh set of medium tyres. Vettel followed into the pitlane a lap later and relinquished the lead of the race to Kimi Raikkonen.

The Lotus driver was leading the race by 15 seconds over Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and felt that the tyres and the car were, possibly, performing well enough to hold on to the lead. However, communication problems between the pitwall and Raikkonen ultimately led to a late pitstop for the Finn.

“I could run longer and we had to think about if we should try to run until the end,” said Raikkonen. “But I had massive problem with the radio. I could hear the team but they couldn’t hear me, apart from at two corners.

Raikkonen last pitstop switched him to the soft compound Pirelli tyres and left him roughly three seconds adrift of the Red Bull. Despite closing down Vettel in the closing stages of the race and getting to within the DRS zone, the Finn was unable to regain the lead of the grand prix. Raikkonen finished one second behind race winner Sebastian Vettel.

Ferrari’s qualifying strategy hadn’t quite gone to plan with Felipe Massa retiring and Fernando Alonso only salvaging fourth. Polesitter Lewis Hamilton’s difficult afternoon was blighted with tyre issues but the Brit fought his way back to finish fifth overall. Jenson Button returned McLaren to the points paying positions with a fine sixth place ahead of a recovering Webber in seventh. Perez, Rosberg and Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten.

The dismal run of form for Williams continued this weekend as the team failed to score even a single point on the weekend they are celebrating 600 grand prix starts.

Just seven days ago Sebastian Vettel walked away from the British grand prix without a single point in the bank. But he’s no three champion by mistake and this is not the impetuous Vettel of 2009. A mature, in control, winning machine is what Vettel has transformed himself into – and that is going to take some stopping in 2013.

As impressive a collection of achievements as Sebastian Vettel has been able to put together winning his home race has always eluded him. But a finely judged drive and resisting big pressure from Raikkonen has earned the championship leader a coveted home race victory.

July 7, 2013
2013 German GP: Raikkonen wonders about final pitstop

Kimi Raikkonen suspects that a late pitstop during the German grand prix may not have been neccesary.

The Lotus driver was leading the race by 15 seconds over Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and felt that the tyres and the car were, possibly, performing well enough to hold on to the lead. However, communication problems between the pitwall and Raikkonen ultimately led to a late pitstop for the Finn.

“I could run longer and we had to think about if we should try to run until the end,” said Raikkonen. “But I had massive problem with the radio. I could hear the team but they couldn’t hear me, apart from at two corners.

Raikkonen last pitstop switched him to the soft compound Pirelli tyres and left him roughy three seconds adrift of the Red Bull. Despite closing down Vettel in the closing stages of the race and getting to within the DRS zone, the Finn was unable to regain the lead of the grand prix. Raikkonen finished one second behind race winner Sebastian Vettel.

July 7, 2013
F1 2013: Qualifying Report – German GP

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished a tenth clear of Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel to take pole position for the German grand prix.

Briton Lewis Hamilton has taken his second consecutive pole position and twenty-ninth of his Formula 1 career at the home grand prix for his team, Mercedes.

The biggest casualty of the day was teammate and British grand prix race winner, Nico Rosberg. An initial run in the second part of Saturday’s qualifying appeared to be enough for the German to advance to the top ten shoot-out. However, a late flurry of flying laps in the closing stages of the second session of quali pushed Rosberg down to eleventh and out of contention for the front row of the grid. The German commented that the team had “underestimated the pace of the track.”

Ever dependable Jenson Button managed to drag his McLaren into the top ten and continually impressive Daniel Ricciardo and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg advanced to the final part of qualifying.

The gap between the soft and medium compound tyres this weekend has been anything from one to one and a half seconds – a run for pole, or anywhere near the sharp-end would require the yellow marked tyres, no doubt. However, the medium compound tyres have also proven, through long run stints in qualifying, to have a much better wear rate than their softer counterparts. As ever Ferrari chose to play the long run and focus on race day by choosing to run only the medium compound tyres in the final ten minute session of qualifying. The result was seventh for Felipe Massa and eighth for Fernando Alonso. Barring any incidents in the first corners the Ferrari’s should bring themselves nicely in to play in Sunday’s race.

But Saturday once again belonged to Lewis Hamilton. The 2008 champion pipped championship leader Sebastian Vettel to pole position but a tenth of a second. Former German grand prix winner Mark Webber will start third and Kimi Raikkonen, in the Lotus, fourth.

Romain Grosjean and Daniel Ricciardo will start fifth and sixth ahead of Massa, Alonso and Button.

July 6, 2013
Vettel fastest on softs in Free Practice 2

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time during the second free practice session in Germany beating Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg by two tenths of a second.

Mark Webber who had a very consistent run finished the session in third place and proved to be very quick on the medium tyres. He was followed closely by the two Lotus drivers.

Alonso, who did not manage to set a time in FP1 managed to place his car in 6th ahead of team mate Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton.

Jules Bianchi did not complete the session due to feeling ill.

The Mercedes drivers still seem to have the advantage over a single lap but it’s still early days – we have FP3 and Qualifying tomorrow.

Below are the results for the session.

July 5, 2013
FIA bans tyre swapping at German Grand Prix

The FIA today imposed a ban on all tyre swapping for this weekend’s German Grand Prix. They have also issued strict limits on tyre pressures and cambers for the race.

This follows a request by Pirelli to the FIA, to limit how F1 teams exploit the rubber because according to Pirelli this was a major contributing factor to the blow-outs suffered at the British Grand Prix. Earlier this week, Pirelli openly blamed teams in a statement for the failures at Silverstone.

The FIA has agreed to enforce strict limits on tyre operations this weekend.

Race director Charlie Whiting, who nearly red-flagged the British Grand Prix, issued a note to teams on Friday stating that: “For safety reasons, we have been asked by Pirelli to ensure that the tyres on all cars are run under the conditions listed below.

It will be the responsibility of each team to satisfy the FIA technical delegate that the cars comply with the following requirements at all times.”

The note specified that minimum starting pressures front and rear will be 16psi, the minimum stabilised running front pressure will be 20psi, and at the rear it will be 19psi. The maximum negative camber allowed at the front will be four degrees, and it will be 2.5 degrees at the rear.

Regarding tyre swapping Charlie also added, “Front and rear tyres must be used on the side of the car for which they were originally designated (no swapping from side-to-side.)”. This was another factor which Pirelli stated contributed to the Silverstone failures.

With drivers threatening to boycott the German Grand Prix should further failures be experienced this weekend, we can only hope that the changes Pirelli has made to the tyres for this weekend will ensure that a recurrence of the drama last weekend is not seen at the Nurburgring.

July 5, 2013
F1 drivers will boycott German GP if tyre problems persist

Formula One drivers have threatened to boycott the German Grand Prix this weekend if a repeat of the problems at Silverstone are experienced.

Four drivers suffered blown tyres during a dramatic British Grand Prix on Sunday at Silverstone, forcing Pirelli to revert to Kevlar-belted tyres for this weekend’s race at the Nurburgring. They will also be introducing a new tyre for the remainder of the season.

Although Pirelli are confident that bringing back the Kevlar-belted tyres this weekend will ensure that a repeat of the Silverstone fiasco is not suffered, drivers are not fully satisfied and the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, which represents the majority of drivers, said its members wanted to express their “deepest concerns”.

In a statement following a meeting of the GPDA on Thursday evening, a statement was issued stating that should similar problems occur during the German GP weekend, they would withdraw from the event in the interest of safety.

The statement read:

“The drivers of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association wish to express their deepest concerns about the events that took place at Silverstone.

“We trust that the changes made to the tyres will have the desired results and that similar problems will not occur during the German GP weekend.

“We are ready to drive our cars to the limit, as we always do, and as it is expected by our teams, sponsors and fans.

“However, the drivers have decided that, if similar problems should manifest themselves during the German GP, we shall immediately withdraw from the event, as this avoidable problem with the tyres endangers again the lives of drivers, marshals and fans.”

Fernando Alonso spoke earlier on Thursday about the dangerous situation he found himself in behind Sergio Perez who suffered a blow out. “I committed to overtake Sergio on the left,” he said, “I was lucky because maybe if I chose the right, everything would hit my helmet. There are pieces of steel coming at 300kph so it would be like a bullet or a knife.” He added, “Pirelli made some changes. We trust them. We think they solve the problem.”

Pirelli issued a statement on Tuesday blaming the failures on the teams but Jenson Button said following the GPDA meeting that “We followed all of Pirelli’s guidelines – on both cars.”

Pictures have been posted on the Internet showing that tyre swapping was taking place but no further comment has been made about this by the drivers.

July 4, 2013