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Nürburgring
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Opened in 1984 after being built over a fraction of the original and infamous 14-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife, the circuit now feels very much part of the calendar after several years moonlighting as the European and Luxembourg Grand Prix before alternating with Hockenheim as the home of the German Grand Prix. A rhythmic, undulating track, each 5.148 kilometre lap of the modern layout will see the drivers negotiate a complete mix of corners from first-gear hairpins to sixth and seventh-gear sweeping bends. Overtaking is difficult but not impossible and the first corner offers the best opportunity. However, it is the Dunlop Kehre that has produced some of the boldest moves, most notably the one Juan Pablo Montoya pulled on Michael Schumacher in 2003.
Unpredictable weather conditions are an ever present feature of the mountainous Eifel region and rain often plays a role in how the Grand Prix weekend unfolds.
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The Nürburgring demands some of the highest downforce levels of the season, not only for the numerous slow and medium-speed corners, but also to maintain good stability under heavy braking for the first corner and the slow chicanes. The slow speed sections also dictate the suspension set-up with the car needing to be responsive to quick changes of direction but also providing good traction out of the chicanes.
Engines have a comparitively easy time at the Nürburgring, with a low full throttle percentage and the longest period at full throttle barely lasting 10 seconds. It's further helped by the typically cooler conditions and the altitude, some 500m above sea level, which has the effect of reducing engine power by around five percent. The Nürburgring is also one of the heaviest braking circuits on the calendar so you need a car which will be good through the four heavy braking zones.
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Overview
| Circuit Length: |
5.148 km (3.199 miles) |
| Race Length: |
60 laps (308.9 km, 191.9 miles) |
| Circuit Type: |
Permanent course |
| Direction: |
Clockwise |
| Corners: |
16 (10 right-hand and
6 left-hand corners) |
| Elevation Change: |
Average |
| Run-off Area: |
Large |
| Maximum G-Force: |
3.9 G |
| Joined Calendar: |
1951 |
| Lap Record: |
1:29.468 (Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2004) |
| Av. Temperature: |
21°C |
| Typical Weather: |
Cloudy |
| Altitude: |
621 m AMSL |
| Official Website: |
External link |
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Low
58%
2.43 kg/5km
High
Medium / 
Soft