Profile: Nurburgring
- Location: Nurburg, Germany
- Direction: clockwise
- Lap Length: 5.148km
- Race Laps: 60
- Race Legnth: 308.88km
- Lap Record: 1:29.468 (Michael Schumacher, 2004)
- This circuit was opened for Grand Prix action in 1984 with Alain Prost winning the European event, and the German event in ‘85. After that, it did not see another race for ten years, before the European Grand Prix was again placed on the calendar in 1996.
The Nurburgring is a fast and forgiving circuit. Medium downforce settings are usually employed.
Like Spa, the Nurburgring – which is located in Germany’s Eiffel region – has a reputation for unusual weather. On occasions, one half of the track has been completely dry whilst on the other rain is pouring.
A lap with Alex Wurz…
Powering along the start-finish straight at the Nürburgring you reach 181mph / 290km/h in sixth gear, before braking hard for the entrance to the Mercedes Arena, which is a tight right hand hairpin that sees you drop into 1st gear. This is immediately followed by a long 180-degree left hander and a 90-degree right hander, which swings you back round onto the straight. Powering up through the gears on the approach to the fast left of Valvoline Kurve, you brake from speeds of 165mph / 265km/h in fifth gear to 110mph / 177km/h in third gear to negotiate the sweeping bend. A short burst on the throttle takes you to the second gear Ford Kurve, this bumpy right hander is taken at 65mph / 104km/h. On the exit you accelerate downhill up to 185mph / 297km/h in sixth gear as you approach the hairpin, which is taken at 60mph / 96km/h in second. It is crucial to take a good line through the hairpin so that you can push hard and early on the throttle on the exit. Up the hill towards the Michelin Kurve you reach speeds of 175mph / 281km/h, lifting slightly for the left-right flick of the chicane, before braking hard for Michelin, dropping down to 85mph / 136km/h in third for the 90-degree left-hander. A similar right-hander, which is one of the most crucial corners on the circuit, follows and takes you onto the back straight. Taken flat-out, the fast, sweeping straight, with a slight right kink, sees you reach 190mph / 300km/h in seventh gear as you approach the Veedol-S chicane, the main overtaking opportunity at the circuit. This is another tough braking point as you drop from the highest speed at the Nürburgring to 60mph / 96km/h in second to negotiate the chicane where you have to drive aggressively over the curbs in order to carry the speed through the corner. Accelerating out, a short burst on the throttle sees you reach 140mph / 225km/h in fourth before dabbing the brakes for the final corner. Taken at 75mph / 120km/h and using the whole curb as you exit, the right-hander flicks you back onto the start-finish straight to begin another lap.
Circuit maps as featured in F1 Championship Manager.
