 European Grand Prix (Nürburgring) 2003 preview.
Story and photographs by Eileen Buckley.
Welcome to F1 Vacationland! The Nürburgring circuit lies in the midst of several fantastic diversions for racing fans, not the least of which is the Grand Prix itself. Adjacent to the current circuit one finds the old Nordschleife, host to many famous F1 races of the past, holding its last German GP in 1976. The old Nürburgring circuit is now open to the public with a lap costing a mere few Euros. There are not many opportunities to drive an actual GP circuit, and this one is special. Take care, as this track is still taking peoples' lives. Dry weather is a rarity.
The Nordschleife also has a karting centre, but why not divert yourself an hour north to the now famous Michael Schumacher Kart Centre instead? Top class all the way, the facility even has computerised toilets! It is a beautiful drive between Nürburg and Sindorf, the town where you will find the karting centre, just north of the Schumachers' home town of Kerpen. Also a few exits away in Köln is Toyota F1's headquarters and factory, with tours given, and well worth taking advantage of.
If you have a day to spare, you will also find yourself about 90 minutes from the enticing Spa-Francorchamps F1 track and the beautiful Hautes-Fagnes mountain region. This old battlefront area of Belgium and Germany is simply teeming with racing temptations that I for one cannot resist. The experience is worth the journey.
The European GP at Nürburgring seems to be everyone's home race. Ralf and Michael Schumacher are hugely popular here, as are locals Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, both from the nearby town of Mönchengladbach. As I mentioned, Toyota's factory is just up the road, BMW and Mercedes consider it their home, and Jordan's Ford Europe folks are Toyota's neighbours in Köln and will attend the race in droves. Also, with the cancellation (shame on anyone who played a role in that atrocity) of the Spa race this year, Dutchman Jos Verstappen is having his virtual home race as well.
Plus we have some interesting milestones and remembrances for certain drivers. This race marks the 150th GP for both David Coulthard and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, and the 100th GP for Jos Verstappen. Nürburgring is also the track where Jacques Villeneuve won his first and last (so far) Formula 1 races. Plus there is always a milestone or two for Michael to achieve if he wins.
So we will have quite a busy weekend at this year's European GP. It is rumoured that there will even be a real race! Yes, Nürburgring represents one of the few circuits whose characteristics create a situation where several teams are very close in their abilities to win the race. With the changes to the circuit in 2002, there is such a combination of success factors that really any of Ferrari, McLaren, or Williams can win the race fair and square. Depending on what Renault has done to boost their engine output, they may also have a shot. So strategy is absolutely paramount, and all the teams should have on their very best thinking caps.
The circuit layout changes in 2002 made aerodynamic performance slightly less important, and mechanical performance significantly more crucial. Engine power remains a must, as the hill-climbing exercises are daunting. Traction control and set-up balance are even more important with the added slow turns, difficult camber, bumpy tarmac, and kerbing. If you missed the changes, the most significant is the alteration of the first series of turns from a classic flowing "S" to a sharp hairpin at turn 1 followed by a series of slow turns through the new infield arena.
For once, tyres, though still critical, may not be the deciding factor in the race, as the chances of anyone choosing anything but a very soft compound are slim, as the track is not abrasive (although getting the set-up wrong can eat up the tyres quickly), and there will be many pit stops this year. In the past, a one-stop strategy could prove beneficial at Nürburgring, especially if running on hard Michelins in the heat of 2001. Unfortunately, only Jaguar figured that out back then, and by the time Williams wanted to do the same in 2002, the track had been redesigned and the weather was considerably cooler. A one-stop last year was not a winning move, though it could improve the lot of a fast car that had had a poor qualifying performance. Hence the new track has moved the race strategy forward into two-stop territory, and with the new qualifying fuel regs, likely a three-stop strategy will be the winner this year, all else being equal, which it usually isn't.
Rain is a frequent visitor to the Eifel mountain region of Germany, hence not so much tyre strategy as tyre luck may play a part in qualifying. Which will be a pity, as there is very little chance for overtaking at Nürburgring. Yes of course it is possible to pass at a couple of places, but it is by no means a guarantee, and more difficult than at most circuits with straights. These straights are a bit too short and the lines through the chicanes a bit too narrow. Plus everyone runs heavy aero downforce, and getting max speeds on the straights is not automatic. But we will probably see someone like Kimi get past someone like Trulli at the old Veedol chicane at some point.
If three stop strategies are run, Michelin may have an advantage in the third and fourth stints, as Nürburgring tends to rubber in on Sunday, and Michelin tends to speed up in these circumstances, particularly if the track is over 30 degrees Celsius. In the past, by the time the track rubbered in it was too late to do anything about it strategy-wise, but this year with the new qualifying fuel regs, a heavy third stint or other tactics could be planned to take advantage. The latest forecast shows a chance of rain Friday evening, which will leave the track green for qualifying. This should favour Bridgestone if the track has totally dried, and Michelin if it is still damp. The forecast also shows a warm, 2001-like, Michelin-loving Sunday. All clear?
Looking at teams' performances, Ferrari and McLaren seem to have the best combination of horsepower, aerodynamic performance, and set-up balance. Williams has the horsepower but its high aerodynamic downforce performance remains unproven, though they seem to have hope. They have had massive balance, set-up and braking issues all year, but may have settled some of that recently. Renault looks to have the best pure chassis out there, with superior traction, handling, and braking characteristics, excellent high downforce performance, and ever-improving engine output, with another boost to the mid-range for this race, plus an increase in max rpms. If the engine improvements are substantial enough, they could win the race cleanly.
There was at one time hope for BAR, but now this seems more like a prayer. Honda has not delivered on the engine, leaving them often near a second behind the leaders on lap times. The chassis is decent enough, but the whole package is not there. Jaguar could surprise, as their horsepower is formidable, and the chassis is also decent enough. Tyres could play in their favour depending on conditions, and with a smart strategy and some luck, Jaguar could be up in the real points. Toyota has not gotten there yet on the chassis side, and it is difficult to tell where the engine output is as they have been cranking on the downforce most of the season to stabilize the car through the corners. The remaining three teams, all Bridgestone runners, don't have the needed grunt. But it could always rain!
If you are a betting person, McLaren is looking good.
Certain drivers have excelled at the Nürburgring these past few years. Surprisingly, David Coulthard has finished more races in the points (7) than any other driver, one more than Michael Schumacher. Michael has won the most races of the current drivers, succeeding in 3 of his 7 attempts at this circuit, with an additional three podiums. This is also a track that suits Barrichello, finishing in the points in 6 races here, twice on the podium, with a somewhat gifted win last year. Ralf Schumacher races well in Nürburgring, with three 4th places in the recent past, but not with the greatest luck. He started off his career in 1997 with a bang at his home race, getting into an incident with Jordan team-mate Fisichella after which Ralf's car landed on top of his brother Michael's, taking him out and damaging the older Schumacher's championship run against Villeneuve in the process.
However the past couple of years Ralf has been up at the front contending with his brother and his team-mate Montoya and the McLarens, making for some edge-of-the-seat race starts. As for other drivers, Villeneuve and Frentzen did very well here in the Williams of that time, but this looks to be more down to the performance of the car as neither has scored a point at Nürburgring since.
If you are still a betting person, Coulthard is looking good. But, I'll say it again, it could always rain.
Current championship standings
Pre-season
Ferrari F2003-GA launch
2003 F1 season calendar
09/03/2003 - Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne)
- Australia circuit map by JR
- Australia qualifying grid by JR
- Australia race start grid by JR
- Australia parc ferme post-qualifying by the FIA
- Australia race lap-by-lap by JR
23/03/2003 - Malaysian Grand Prix (Sepang)
- Malaysia circuit map by JR
- Malaysia qualifying grid by JR
- Malaysia race start grid by JR
- Malaysia race lap-by-lap by JR
06/04/2003 - Brazilian Grand Prix (Sao Paulo)
- Brazil circuit map by JR
- Brazil qualifying grid by JR
- Brazil race start grid by JR
- Post-qualifying notes by the FIA
- Brazil race lap-by-lap by JR
20/04/2003 - San Marino Grand Prix (Imola)
- San Marino circuit map by JR
- San Marino qualifying grid by JR
- San Marino race start grid by JR
- San Marino race lap-by-lap by JR
- Post-race notes by the FIA
04/05/2003 - Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona)
- Spain circuit map by JR
- Spain qualifying grid by JR
- Spain race start grid by JR
- Spain race lap-by-lap by JR
18/05/2003 - Austrian Grand Prix (Spielberg)
- Austria circuit map by JR
- Austria qualifying grid by JR
- Austria race start grid by JR
- Austria qualifying review by Shell
- Austria race lap-by-lap by JR
- Austria race review by Shell
- Austrian GP photo gallery
01/06/2003 - Grand Prix de Monaco (Monaco)
- Monaco circuit map by JR
- Monaco qualifying grid by JR
- Monaco race start grid by JR
- Monaco race lap-by-lap by JR
15/06/2003 - Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal)
- Canada race preview by EB
- Canada circuit map by JR
- Canada qualifying grid by JR
- Canada race start grid by JR
- Canada race lap-by-lap by JR
29/06/2003 - European Grand Prix (Nürburgring)
- Europe race preview by EB
- Europe circuit map by JR
- Europe qualifying grid by JR
- Europe race start grid by JR
- Europe race lap-by-lap by JR
06/07/2003 - French Grand Prix (Magny-Cours)
- France circuit map by JR
- France qualifying grid by JR
- France race start grid by JR
- France race lap-by-lap by JR
- France race review by EB
20/07/2003 - British Grand Prix (Silverstone)
- Britain race preview by EB
- Britain circuit map by JR
- Britain qualifying grid by JR
- Britain race start grid by JR
- Britain race lap-by-lap by JR
03/08/2003 - German Grand Prix (Hockenheim)
- Germany race preview by EB
- Germany circuit map by JR
- Germany qualifying grid by JR
- Germany race start grid by JR
- Germany race lap-by-lap by JR
- Germany race review by SO
24/08/2003 - Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest)
- Hungary race preview by EB
- Hungary circuit map by JR
- Hungary qualifying grid by JR
- Hungary race start grid by JR
- Hungary race lap-by-lap by JR
- Hungary race review by EB
14/09/2003 - Italian Grand Prix (Monza)
- Italy race preview by EB
- Italy circuit map by JR
- Italy qualifying grid by JR
- Italy race start grid by JR
- Italy race lap-by-lap by JR
- Italy race review by EB
28/09/2003 - American Grand Prix (Indianapolis)
- America race preview by EB
- America circuit map by JR
- America qualifying grid by JR
- America race start grid by JR
- America race lap-by-lap by JR
- America race review by EB
12/10/2003 - Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
- Japan race preview by EB
- Japan circuit map by JR
- Japan qualifying grid by JR
- Japan race start grid by JR
- Japan race lap-by-lap by JR
- Japan race review by EB
|
|
|
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=link}
