Formula 1 2014: Round 10 - German Grand Prix

Race Preview 2014 GERMAN GRAND PRIX

18 – 20 JULY 2014

Click the track to see Pirelli's Race Preview

After a high-speed, breathless race at Silverstone, Formula One racing heads to Germany this week where the drivers will take on the technical Hockenheim circuit for the first time since 2012. Those involved discuss their prospects for this weekend's Formula 1 Grosser Preis Santander von Deutschland 2014...

Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel
2012 Qualifying - 2nd, 2012 Race - 5th
"I always enjoy the atmosphere at the Hockenheimring. When you arrive at track in the morning the circuit's already filled with fans and when you're in the car you can see lots of German flags in the grandstands. The signing session is always very busy too. It's those little things I really enjoy about Hockenheim. We get a lot of encouragement. During practice you know that the fans in the grandstands are there to support you and stand by you, no matter what. Of course, you want to give as much as possible back to the fans, but sometimes it's not in your hands. However we will attack at the weekend and give everything."

Daniel Ricciardo
2012 Qualifying - 11th, 2012 Race - 13th
"Hockenheim's quite a short track but it's another of those with a little bit of everything. I don't think the track asks particularly big questions of the driver, though it requires you to be quite brave through the fast Turn One and the right-hander into the stadium – that's largely about having the confidence in the car to get you through those corners quickly. The other thing you need is good stability under the heavy braking for the hairpin. All in all it's a balancing act. You'd like to have the downforce for the stadium and to keep it steady on the brakes but equally you don't want too much drag on the straights."

Lotus
Romain Grosjean
2012 Qualifying - 15th, 2012 Race - 18th
"I've definitely got good memories of Germany from last year at the Nurburgring, when I led the race on the way to finishing a close third behind Kimi. However my only Hockenheim F1 race was one to forget, a grid penalty and then car damage early in the 2012 Grand Prix. I've got nothing against the track though - one of my first single seater races was at Hockenheim in 2003 and I've raced there in various categories over the years. We've worked hard to improve performance in the low-speed corners, so Hockenheim will be a good test of how much we've progressed. Apart from the run down to the hairpin there are no real straights to speak about so power unit emphasis will be on acceleration rather than top speed. The shorter layout may not have the same character as the original Hockenheim, but it usually provides plenty of overtaking and the atmosphere in the stadium is amazing. It's another track where the fans are absolutely brilliant and really show their appreciation of the sport. I'm looking forward to returning."

Pastor Maldonado
2012 Qualifying - 6th, 2012 Race - 15th
"I have raced at Hockenheim both with GP2 and F1. I've been quite quick there in the past - winning in GP2 - and it's a fun circuit to drive so we'll see how it goes. I really like the people there; the fans are great and so many of them come to the race. There is a great atmosphere, particularly in the final few corners with the big grandstands. The final sector is challenging with lots of corners coming quickly after each other, so that is one area where time can easily be won or lost. Get it right and you carry speed from one corner to the next, but a small mistake in one corner can mean you are also punished at the next. There's potential for it to be a tough weekend for us. The surface is very smooth, there are some slower corners with strong traction demands out of them as well as several straights where you need as much power as possible."

Federico Gastaldi, Lotus deputy team principal
"Hockenheim is always a great Grand Prix and we enjoy racing there. Like Silverstone it has some good history and with the natural amphitheatre stadium bowl it has a unique atmosphere. I remember well the third place we achieved in 2012 and the memories are happy ones. However, for 2014 we are in a different situation but as ever we will strive for the maximum and push once more to fight for points. The team is working so hard for such little points reward at the moment. We need to see that change as soon as possible."

Nick Chester, Lotus technical director
"It's quite a mixed track with a couple of long straights and a medium-speed final section. Two of the straights are also linked by a medium to high-speed corner, which is good for us, as is having soft and supersoft tyres for this circuit. Weather is often a factor there too. Last time we were there, in 2012, it was wet on the Friday and Saturday. The hairpin is a key area for overtaking, so braking will be important. Our development schedule is continuing at full pace. We will have a new front wing, which is a decent improvement, a cooling upgrade and some smaller bodywork updates to increase downforce. Between what we have learnt in the Silverstone test and these upgrades, we hope to make a good step forward."

Force India
Nico Hulkenberg
2012 Qualifying - 5th, 2012 Race - 9th
"Even on tracks where we have been struggling slightly, we have managed to score points - for example, in Silverstone the car balance was not ideal, but we still came away with four points. I'm feeling more positive about our performance in Germany, especially with the return of the soft and supersoft tyres. I know Hockenheim really well because it was my local circuit when I was growing up. For me the trickiest corner is turn one. It's so quick at well over 200 km/h and there is a curb on the exit where it's easy to make a mistake and run wide. The other big feature is the hairpin after the back straight. It's a heavy braking zone and it is easy to run too deep and lose time. It's also a great overtaking opportunity. The racing is always good at Hockenheim so it should be a good show for the fans."

Sergio Perez
2012 Qualifying - 12th, 2012 Race - 6th
"Hockenheim should suit our car and we should be in a much stronger position. It looks like a track where we can perform well. With the softer tyres and warm temperatures it's going to be an interesting race. I like the track, especially the final sector going into the stadium area. I love attacking those corners and you can find a lot of time in this part of the lap. I spent a lot of time in Germany during my career so it's always good to go back there."

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
"Hockenheim is a medium-speed circuit and we have done well on these sorts of tracks this year. It's also Nico's home race so I am sure he will have some extra motivation to do well. We have scored points in every race, but we need to score with both cars if we want to maintain our position in the championship. It's expected to be one of the hotter races of the year and that usually works in our favour."

Sauber
Esteban Gutierrez
2012 Qualifying - n/a, 2012 Race - n/a
"The Hockenheimring is a track that I always liked a lot. I have great memories of it as I raced there in every category during the early stages of my career. I won a GP3 race there in 2010. Hockenheim consists of a few straights, which can be a challenge for us. It is a technical track with its high-speed corners and the hairpin after the long straight. Entering the stadium is a very fast corner, and the following “Sachskurve” is a tricky one. The last two corners before the finish line are also interesting, so I think that will be the most crucial part of the track. Other than that, I like the atmosphere in Hockenheim as there are usually quite a lot of fans who give us drivers great support."

Adrian Sutil
2012 Qualifying - n/a, 2012 Race - n/a
"Hockenheim is my home race and, therefore, a special event. I am really looking forward to the weekend. However, I have not raced there since 2010. Some exciting days lie ahead of me, as I am going to meet many guests and sponsors. I like the track, and I have many memories from there. I have raced a lot in Hockenheim and I hope, also for my fans, for a good result as well as an appropriate performance from the team."

Giedo van der Garde, test and reserve driver
"For me it will be the first time running in an F1 car in Hockenheim. As the track is fairly close to Holland, I hope to see some Dutch flags around the circuit. I like this track. I have raced there quite a lot in Formula 3, and my last time in Hockenheim was in 2012 for GP2. I got Pole Position, so I am looking forward to going back and to drive there for the first time with the C33."

Giampaolo Dall'Ara, Sauber head of track engineering
"The track at Hockenheim is a relatively short one, yet offering a wide spread of challenges. Its cornering speeds cover every range between approximately 50 kph at turn six to over 220 kph at turns one and 12; good traction is needed, and braking stability. The tarmac is not abrasive, so soft and super-soft tyres seem to be an appropriate allocation for the event. Considering that all the corners bar three turn right, the left hand side of the car is going to be the most loaded. The race and the test at Silverstone have left their marks on the team. On one side there are positive achievements in terms of overall progress, and on the other hand the amount of wreckage we brought back poses additional work we didn't need in the preparation for the German Grand Prix."

Toro Rosso
Jean-Eric Vergne
2012 Qualifying - 18th, 2012 Race - 14th
"It's a nice track and I like the stadium section, the right hand bend and the hairpin, which is a fantastic section in a Formula One car: you drive the whole lap just looking forward to this section! If the track could be just this, it would be fantastic. The rest of it includes a straight that is long enough to allow you to overtake. In fact there are quite a few overtaking opportunities here. I also like the high speed first corner, which requires real commitment from the driver."

Daniil Kvyat
2012 Qualifying - n/a, 2012 Race - n/a
"I have good memories of racing here, including getting pole position in Formula 3 last year. It's a nice flowing circuit with some fast straights, some heavy braking, especially for the famous hairpin where you can overtake, fast corners and the stadium section with its big crowd. I like the location with the countryside and the forests, which I always appreciate more than the hassle of a city. It's a classic European track, requiring a good amount of downforce. There are some long straights but that's not where the main lap time is found. So you have to have good stability in the more twisty sections."

McLaren
Jenson Button
2012 Qualifying - 7th, 2012 Race - 2nd
"I remember racing at the old Hockenheim – four 200mph straights, a couple of fiddly chicanes and a stadium section where you held on tightly because the car didn't have any downforce. It seems like a different level of craziness compared with today, but it was a lot of fun.

"The re-designed circuit could never be as mighty as the old Hockenheim, but it's a fun little track, and it's been purposely designed to encourage racing. The long, curved straight up to Turn Six is tailor-made for slipstreaming – you force the car ahead to be defensive, so it's actually on the run to Turn Seven that you usually try to overtake, because you're capitalising on the other car's slower exit. Turn Eight is another place where you can try to make a move – because it's possible to get into the corner side-by-side with another driver, and then make the position stick. There are a couple of high-speed corners, but the circuit is largely made up of low-speed turns, so our car shouldn't be too disadvantaged. It's a race that often throws up a surprise or two, so I'm looking forward to the weekend."

Kevin Magnussen
2012 Qualifying - n/a, 2012 Race - n/a
"I've raced at Hockenheim before – back in 2010 when I was in German Formula 3 – and it's a circuit that I enjoy. It has a good mix of corners, it's a mid-speed track, it's a place where you can spend a lot of the lap fighting other drivers, so it's important to have a car that you feel comfortable pushing and which has good traction out of the corners – which is where a lot of overtaking moves tend to start around here.

"It's a circuit which should hopefully suit us a little bit better than some of the faster, more aero-dependent tracks that we've visited recently. I don't think that will significantly change the competitive order, but it would be good to get some more points under our belts as we push to move up both the drivers' and constructors' championships."

Eric Boullier, McLaren racing director
"It says a lot about the strength of our race team that we've recently managed to achieve some respectable results at circuits where we perhaps didn't expect to shine. We're aware that those results weren't fully representative of the pace of our car, but were achieved because our race team has the experience and commitment to make things count when it really matters.

"Even if, on paper, the track in Germany suits us better than it seemingly did in Great Britain, we still need to maximise everything to be in a strong points-scoring position on Sunday afternoon. There are no short-term answers: we're still pushing the development of MP4-29, and are hopeful that the lessons we learn during this season will have a positive effect on the development of next year's car."

Pirelli
Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director
"It's a pleasure to go back to Hockenheim after two years away, but this increases the workload for ourselves and the teams as the only concrete F1 data we currently have is two years old – when the cars and the tyres were very different. So we expect the Friday free practice sessions to be extremely important, as the teams use the time to assimilate as much relevant information as they can. We've never been to Hockenheim with the supersoft before, but now that we have collected more data on the compounds this year, we think it should be well-suited to the varying demands of Hockenheim, which used to be one of the fastest circuits in the world, before it was modified in 2002. By Friday afternoon, we should have a clearer idea of how many pit stops we might expect. Germany has always been at the heart of not just Formula One but the automotive industry as a whole, so we're looking forward once more to showcasing our products in front of the extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable German fans."

Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton
2012 Qualifying - 8th, 2012 Race - DNF
"Winning at Silverstone was just an incredible feeling - for myself, the team and the fans, I couldn't have asked for more. I feel like I've been on the back foot all year, only briefly leading the championship despite taking the wins I've had, so to have got myself just about level was exactly what I needed. It's almost a fresh start heading into the second half of the season and it's going to be a really close battle between us. Of course, you never want to see your team-mate fall away, but hopefully we can now strike a line under the retirements and push each other all the way on track. You can't have everything - the best car, the best pace, the best speed at the end of the straight and perfect reliability - because things are on the limit. But I know how hard the team are working to get as close to that benchmark as we can possibly be. There were lots of positives to take from Silverstone. Knowing I'm going into the next race with the best car, having shown that I've got good pace, and knowing that if I do a good job I can be ahead is a good place to be. This is the home Grand Prix for Mercedes-Benz, so it's important for the team and important for me. I've won twice before in Germany, but not at Hockenheim since way back in 2008. The aim is to change that this weekend."

Nico Rosberg
2012 Qualifying - 17th, 2012 Race - 10th
"Although it wasn't the result I wanted in the end, my weekend in Silverstone was really encouraging in a lot of ways. As a team we made all the right calls in a difficult qualifying session and the balance of the car felt very strong until unfortunately I was forced to retire. It was a real shame, but with the new regulations we are always going to be pushing the boundaries and I know how hard the team is pushing to give us the best car out there every weekend. I lost a lot of points and the championship battle is very close, but I'm feeling good. From the test last week we're straight into the next race and another chance to regain the momentum, which is of course my target. Hockenheim is a crucial race for all of us. It's the home Grand Prix for Mercedes-Benz and a second home race for me after Monaco, so I'm really focused on getting a top result this weekend. It's actually the circuit I've won the most races at during my career through all the junior categories, so I know it suits my driving style. Of course, I would love to add Formula One to that list sometime soon! I've always had good support from the German spectators. They're really enthusiastic and it's almost like a tradition to take the family on a camping weekend for the Grand Prix so I'm looking forward to gunning for a good result in front of the crowds."

Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"We left Silverstone with mixed emotions after something of a rollercoaster weekend. Lewis produced a fantastic performance on Sunday - proving his strength by recovering from the disappointment of qualifying to take a brilliant and highly popular home win. For Nico, a strong weekend unfortunately did not yield the result he deserved and we have been working flat out since the race to find and resolve the problem. We can see the performance in the car, but bulletproof reliability is equally important if we are to maintain our advantage in the championship through to the end of the season. Overall, however, Silverstone provided a memorable weekend for the team - and produced another strong advertisement for this new era of Formula One. Now we head to Germany and the home race of Mercedes-Benz with the championship battle as close as it has been between our two drivers. This is an important weekend for them and equally so for the team, so we will be pushing harder than ever to make sure both cars take the best results. The next chapter in this fascinating contest awaits us and we are determined to put on a strong show."

Paddy Lowe, Mercedes team executive director (technical)
"Silverstone saw a fantastic win for Lewis on the occasion not only of the 50th British Grand Prix, but also the 60th anniversary of the first Formula One victory for Mercedes-Benz. While this brought cause for celebration, the main priority of the days since has been to understand the gearbox problem we saw with Nico's car and to make sure there is no recurrence moving forwards. As with any such scenario, a lot of work has been put into rectifying the issue and we head to Hockenheim with a remedy in place. We will also be bringing a number of other upgrades evaluated during the Silverstone test last week, so we look forward to the next race in the hopes of both improved performance and a more robust package from a reliability perspective. Germany is the home race for Mercedes-Benz and we aim to put on a good show for all of our colleagues who will be attending. It's a good circuit and one at which we expect our car to be strong, but as always performance will be dependent on getting the car set up correctly from the outset and understanding the tyres - which are unusually soft for this race in terms of compound selection. The championship battle is very close between Nico and Lewis, with an exciting contest between the two very much on the cards, so we can expect an entertaining weekend ahead."

Caterham
Kamui Kobayashi
2012 Qualifying - 13th, 2012 Race - 4th
"The last two races before the summer break are Germany and Hungary, both tracks I like but in particular Hockenheim - I have been testing and racing at this track so many times throughout my carrier since I came to Europe. So, in a way, this is one of my home tracks!

"The German Grand Prix, whether it's at Hockenheim or Nurburgring, always has fantastic support from the fans – it's like Silverstone and the atmosphere, especially on Sunday at Hockenheim, is amazing!

"For us this will be another race where we aim to fight back against our nearest rivals. We did not see the full performance of the cars in Silverstone for various reasons, particularly for me as I had issues with the car on both Friday and Saturday. Then on Sunday I lost a chunk of downforce when I had to go off-track to avoid the shunt on lap one - that cost me so much lap time. So, I did not have a proper drive throughout the whole weekend! But I'm determined to make sure that all the problems are now gone and I'm ready to fight back in Germany and Hungary."

Marcus Ericsson
2012 Qualifying - n/a, 2012 Race - n/a
"Germany is one of the races I've been really looking forward to. I know the track well as I've raced there in GP2 and I think it'll be a great challenge in a 2014 F1 car – there's a good mix of really quick bits and some slower corners where you can overtake, and the noise the German fans make all weekend is amazing! Actually, it's one of the races that a lot of Swedish fans make it to, so seeing my country's flags in the crowd - that'll make it even more special.

"Inside the car I think we know it's going to be another challenging weekend for us in terms of the pure pace, but the team learnt a lot from the two day test we did in Silverstone after the British GP and we'll be looking to put that into practice on track. The key thing for me is to make sure we have maximum mileage all weekend, especially on Sunday when we need to be there at the end of the race. We've seen this year that the races are very unpredictable and for us that can create opportunities, but if we're not on track when the chequered flag falls we can't take advantage of whatever's happening around us, so that's the main goal."

Marussia
Jules Bianchi
2012 Qualifying - n/a, 2012 Race - n/a
"I have always enjoyed the Hockenheimring, having raced here in the junior formulae and with good memories of having won there much earlier in my career. The target is a little different for this weekend, but having made it into Q2 at Silverstone, we are hoping to show that we are even closer to Sauber, hopefully with another good qualifying. We had a positive test at Silverstone and I hope this will help us to have two strong races before we head into the summer break."

Max Chilton
2012 Qualifying - n/a, 2012 Race - n/a
"It will be good to be back in the car again in Germany, where I hope we'll see some of the benefit of a really good test at Silverstone last week. I really like the Hockenheimring. It's quite a challenging track and one you can really attack and have some fun with. We demonstrated at the last race that we continue to make good progress, particularly in qualifying, so we're hoping for more of the same this weekend."

John Booth, Marussia team principal
"We've had a busy time since the British Grand Prix, firstly with our two days of testing at Silverstone, and subsequently, analysing a significant amount of data gathered there, in a bid to continue our current rate of improvement over these next two races. It's hard to believe that we have reached the halfway point of the season already as we head to Germany. The last nine rounds have flown by but we have plenty of progress to show for it and I'm very pleased that we continue to hold 9th place in the Constructors' Championship. I hope we can demonstrate that we have further developed the MR03 over the past few weeks and gained a little more on the Saubers."

Williams
Felipe Massa
2012 Qualifying - 14th, 2012 Race - 12th
"Germany is a good track as you can overtake easier than some places as the straight is long and you can use the DRS to get past. The track demands good downforce, especially the last sector so we have been working to improve that. We have been building on what is a good car, so I am confident that we can continue the moment and have a good performance."

Valtteri Bottas
2012 Qualifying - n/a, 2012 Race - n/a
"Hockenheim is a great race, the fans are very passionate and a lot of people come to watch. Overtaking is possible so good racing is expected. I think it should be a circuit that suits our car; the old circuit would have been perfect. I hope we can continue the good form we have had in the last three races and I am looking forward to a good weekend and some more points."

Rob Smedley, Williams head of vehicle performance
"We haven't been to Hockenheim for two years as a team because you alternate the tracks in Germany but I think that it can be a good track for us. It's like Silverstone in the way that it's quite an efficient track. There's good power sensitivity with the long straights which will be good for us. In terms of tyres, we will use both soft and super-soft. It's often cold and rainy as it was during qualifying last time we went there in 2012, alternatively, it can be really hot and that can affect the rear tyres, meaning you must keep both temperatures and graining under control. That is our key focus going into the race weekend, and we hope to come out with more good points."

We’re at the half way point in the season, coming up to the 61st German GP and the 34th at the Hockenheimring. The Hockenheimring is 4.574km long with 16 corners, a 67 lap race totalling 306.458km. 17 (51.52%) races at Hockenheim have been won from pole position and 24 (72.73%) from the front row of the grid.

21 drivers have won the German GP at Hockenheim, Ferrari are the most successful constructor and Michael Schumacher the most successful driver, 11 wins for Ferrari and four for Schumacher. Of the drivers on the grid the most successful at Hockenheim is Fernando Alonso with three wins, no other driver has won at the track more than once.

Of the current drivers, Alonso has scored the most points at the track, Button second, Massa third, Vettel fourth and Raikkonen fifth. The lap record was set by Kimi Raikkonen’s McLaren in 2004 with a time of 1:13.780 and an average speed of 223kph or 139mph.

Valtteri Bottas has finished on the podium in the last two races, third in Austria, second in Britain, so surely this means a Bottas win in Germany? If Lewis Hamilton were to take pole position it would be his 10th for Mercedes, and a podium for Nico Rosberg would be his 20th in F1

The Silly Stats
Since Germany just won the World Cup, I guess I’ll have to do some football related silly stats!

You would need 20,791 Brazuca footballs to lap once around the Hockenheimring or 1,422,293 to completely cover the track surface.

The fastest German is Marco Reus, it would take him roughly 10:20.106, quite a bit slower than an F1 car.