Hockenheimring circuit information

The Hockenheimring was drastically altered in 2002, when what had been one of the fastest circuits in Formula 1 was was transformed into a shorter, more compact layout which required a less extreme set-up.

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It first held a round of the world championship in 1970, when drivers refused to race on the Nurburgring Nordschleife on safety grounds. However two years earlier the Hockenheimring had witnessed the death of one of the sport’s greats, when Jim Clark perished in a Formula Two race.

In 1977 F1 turned its back on the Nordschleife for good and the Hockenheimring became the regular home of the German Grand Prix. Its long straights tortured engines, even when chicanes were added for safety reasons. These started out as quick flicks left and right but were tightened on safety grounds as the years went by, notably at the Ostkurve where Patrick Depailler lost his life when he crashed his Alfa Romeo during a test in 1980.

Eventually, concerns over the safety of the track, particularly how narrow it was, and environmental pressures due to its location in a heavily wooded area, led to the destruction of its characteristic long straights after the 2001 race.

The heavily revised track, designed by Tilke Gmbh, held its first race in 2002. Now two-thirds the length of the original, only the twisty ‘Motodrom’ section at the end of the lap remained from the previous circuit.

Lap data
Lap length	4.574km (2.842 miles)
Race laps	67
Race distance	306.458km (190.424 miles)
Pole position	Left-hand side of the track
Lap record*	1’13.780 (Kimi Raikkonen, 2004)
Fastest lap	1’13.306 (Michael Schumacher, 2004, qualifying two)
Maximum speed	313kph (194.489 mph)
Distance from grid to turn one	310m
Car performance
Full throttle	53.5%
Longest flat-out section	1240m
Downforce level	Medium
Gear changes per lap	40
Fuel use per lap	1.5kg
Time penalty per lap of fuel	0.045s
Strategy
Pit lane time loss	11s
Tyres:	Drivers’ tyre selections