GERMAN GRAND PRIX - team and driver preview quotes

Detail schedule for the German GP weekend

Friday 10th July 08:45-09:15 Mini Challenge qualifying 10:00-11:30 Formula One Practice Session 1 11:55-12:25 GP2 practice 12:50-13:15 Formula BMW practice 14:00-15:30 Formula One Practice Session 2 15:55-16:25 GP2 qualifying 16:45-17:30 Porsche Supercup practice 17:50-18:15 Formula BMW qualifying   Saturday 11th July 09:30-10:00 Mini Challenge race one (10 laps) 11:00-12:00 Formula One Practice Session 3 12:25-13:10 Porsche Supercup qualifying 14:00-15:00 Formula One Qualifying Session 16:00-17:20 GP2 race one (40 laps) 17:40-18:10 Formula BMW race one (10 laps)   Sunday 12th July 08:25-08:55 Mini Challenge race two (10 laps) 09:20-09:50 Formula BMW race two (10 laps) 10:30-11:20 GP2 race two (27 laps) 12:30 Drivers' parade 14:00 2009 Santander German Grand Prix (67 laps) N.B. Schedule may be subject to change.   TV SCHEDULE - BBC One (BST) Saturday 20th June 1210-1415 Qualifying Live   Sunday 21st June 1210-1500 Live Race 1900-2000 Highlights (BBC Three)

Virtual lap

Williams F1 team - Day in the life of a Formula 1 race driver

FIA press conference schedule - Germany

The grid’s five German drivers take to the stage to answer questions on Thursday, while on Friday technical talk will dominate proceedings. The line-up in full&ldots; Thursday July 9, 1500 hours local time (1300 GMT): Timo Glock (Toyota), Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber), Nico Rosberg (Williams), Adrian Sutil (Force India) and Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull). Friday July 10, 1600 hours local time (1400 GMT): Paddy Lowe (McLaren), Sam Michael (Williams), Adrian Newey (Red Bull) and Pat Symonds (Renault). The qualifying and post-race conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

Thursday's press conference - Germany

Participating: Timo GLOCK (Toyota), Nick HEIDFELD (BMW Sauber), Nico ROSBERG (Williams), Adrian SUTIL (Force India), Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull). Q. It has been three weeks since the last grand prix. I would like to ask all drivers what have you done and what your team has done to make you faster for this race? Nick HEIDFELD: The team obviously did quite a lot at the factory. We will have a couple of new parts here. We have a new floor or diffuser on the car. We have a new front wing and a new rear suspension. I used the three weeks quite intensively to keep up with my physical training. I visited the team once or twice and hope that we will see another step forward. Timo GLOCK: Yeah, quite similar. I was quite busy. A lot of PR stuff to do. I burned some tyres at Goodwood which was quite a nice three days at Goodwood. Overall, just tried to keep my fitness level consistent for the year and hopefully we have a nice little package, an aero package, for here to fight back again for the top five. Adrian SUTIL: I have been in the UK quite a few times with my team. It is looking really well at the moment, so they are doing good steps. It is important to push them and say well done guys and more of this. I spent a lot of time there and had a weekend off last weekend which was really good. Just at home doing nothing really and trying to save my energy for this weekend. Now I am fit and feeling happy. I am feeling good. Nico ROSBERG: For me my team has really been doing a fantastic job with development. Of course we are still not there where we want to be. We want to be even further up. But still at the moment, in the last two races, we have been the third best team in general, so that is a very nice position to be in and allows us to fight for even maybe podiums very soon. I am very pleased with that at the moment. Over the break they have pushed on again like all the way through the season and we have new bits coming all the time and it is really nice to see the speed by which they bring parts and develop the car. It is great and I follow what they have been doing at the factory and give my thoughts on everything and we have some new bits again here, various new bits on the car. They should bring us another good step forward, so I am looking forward to again being third best team and maybe challenge for the podium, maybe even this weekend. We need to wait and see but we need a bit of luck obviously as the two teams ahead, which are Red Bull and Brawn, which is four cars. But with a bit of luck we could have a shot and that's it. From my part I have been in Ibiza and the South of France. A bit of training and a bit of having a good time and relaxing. Q. So you are going to be fast? NR: Yes. Q. Sebastian? Sebastian VETTEL: We do have some small bits but nothing major. I think we had a very big update at Silverstone which worked perfectly fine, so we should have a very competitive car here again. Always the Nurburgring is very famous for its conditions, so no matter how good is the prediction you never know what is going to happen. The best thing in the morning is to wake up and have a look, so we will see. There are possibly some showers this weekend but I think we do have a competitive car in dry and wet conditions, so it will be very exciting. Obviously for all of us it is our home grand prix, so we are all very excited. The time between Silverstone and here I was mainly at home preparing. It is quite nice. On the one hand you miss the testing because the part you enjoy the most is the driving but on the other hand it is also good to come back down and use the time to train a little bit more intensively as when you are always busy, always on the road, it is hard to really follow a programme. It is more or less about stabilizing where you are. But if you have a bit of time off you can use it. Other than that I turned 22 last week. That's it. Q. Was that a big celebration? SV: Not big. I don't know if you celebrate when you turn 22. It was very quiet. We had some little BBQ with the family but nothing special. Q. Nick, obviously you have had a difficult start to the season. But do you feel the team is still making progress and pushing hard and will continue to push hard all the way until the end of the season? NH: Well, I would not say still. I think in the first couple of races we were going downwards unfortunately but since then we started to move up slowly. It has never been as extreme as this year in Formula One that you really see when somebody brings an update. Whenever we brought an update to the car we did move forward and were able to score points in Barcelona and Istanbul. But then as soon as we had nothing on the car we tended to fall back. That's why I have hopes for here and that we will be able to score points again. I know that there is a lot more in the pipeline for the upcoming races. Of course, it is very unlikely to move us where Red Bull and Brawn are, that's for sure, that's clear. But at least it would be great if we can fight for points on a regular basis. Q. Timo, last weekend at Goodwood I think you also had a go in a rally car? Tell us about that. TG: Yeah, it was quite a nice moment. The first time for me in a WRC car. I think the car was around 10 years old but still a proper one and a proper rally stage through the forest. I just was really impressed the first time when I had a taxi ride to see it and then I was just pushing as hard as possible to get a ride on my own. I did four laps which was quite nice and a lot of fun. I enjoyed it and it was a nice weekend. I think at the end I was only nine seconds slower than Sebastian Loeb, so it didn't look too bad. Q. And your hopes for this weekend? TG: Hopefully we will be back again fighting for the top five and for the podium. But it is quite close. Everybody is really close together and it will be a hard fight. It is quite interesting to see again which teams are bringing big updates and which teams are bringing small updates. I hope we are on the bigger side and just fight for points strongly and for the podium. Q. Adrian, you had the big update at Silverstone. You got close, not you personally, with Giancarlo (Fisichella) in 10th place. Do you think points are a possibility? Vijay (Mallya) certainly does. AS: Yeah, always a possibility. Difficult but it should have been possible in Silverstone already. We were a bit unlucky with both cars in qualifying after my crash, so we had to start from the back. But here we have not really something new on the car, just small things, but still an update from Silverstone should bring us quite a good performance here. Our hopes are to reach the second qualifying again and go close to the top 10. Hopefully in the race we can go into the points but it is a really hard goal to reach but I see a chance and I will go for it. Q. Nico, talk about the progress being made by the team. It really is a development race, isn't it, and do you think they can sustain this? They are a privateer team taking on those manufacturer teams. NR: Definitely. The past few years have been a bit of a negative for us, the developments through the season and we always seemed to lose out. But this year we are just really going up. We are really progressing a lot this year, so I am really enjoying it and I am really confident that we can continue. I think the main point is we learnt a lot about the mistakes, especially from last year. We are doing a lot better on that this year and changed a few things, characteristics in terms of development, so it is helping us a lot. Q. Sebastian, winner of the last race and the only other winner this year apart from Jenson (Button). Adrian Newey thinks it will ebb and flow. Sometimes it will be them and sometimes it will be you. What are your feelings about that? SV: I hope that in the future that it will be only us. But I think it will be a hard fight. As Nick said in the beginning of this question round it is very unique this year to see that as soon as someone brings an update, whoever it is, is able to make quite a big step. We brought quite a big update at the last race and it seemed to work. I think on top of that we had a perfect weekend. Maybe Brawn GP was struggling a little bit here and there. In the end it is all about getting your things and getting the job done. I think you have to focus for every single race. Each circuit is different in a way, so in general I think the most important thing is to have a good, fast car which we do, but they also have (one), so it will be a close fight to the end of the season. But as I said you have to keep working, bringing the bits even if it is just a couple of bits you put on the car. They are helping. Everyone is developing like crazy and trying to improve. Both teams are in a very strong position. We have a good car but in the end little things can make the difference. QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR Q. (Frederic Ferret - L'Equipe) Sebastian, how do you feel this year coming to Germany as a star? SV: I don't consider myself as a star. It is always nice to come here. It is very special for all five of us to take part in the German Grand Prix being German you know, it is our home grand prix. It is similar for an Englishman to drive around Silverstone, I think as it is special. I have had a lot of races here at the Nürburgring in all different categories, Formula BMW, Formula Three and Formula Renault World Series. I like the circuit and it will be my first time around here in an F1 car, so I am definitely looking forward. Q. (Luis Fernando Ramos – Racing Magazine) Question to you all: there's this big legend about the Nordschleife here. I want to know your experience driving around it with any car and if you have a wish to one day have a Formula One race here, even if the safety standards would be a little bit different? NH: Yeah, I think I have quite a lot of experience around there. I said earlier, when they opened the new park that the first lap I did here was together with my father, not being able to reach the pedals but just steering a bit. And I would say it ended two years ago when I had the chance to drive around the Nordschleife in an F1 car which was one of the best experiences I've ever had here. I have to say I was surprised how well the track suited the F1 car. Of course it's too dangerous, the run-off areas are not big enough but the corners themselves are great and it was fantastic doing those three laps. Unfortunately, on each of those laps, I had to follow a camera car, so I couldn't go at full speed but I would love to do it any time again.

TG: Yeah, so far I didn't have the chance to go around in a race car or in a Formula One car. It would be a dream to do it in a Formula One car, definitely, but I did a couple of laps, privately, with my road car when I was here the first time in 2000/2001 and I have to say it took quite a bit of time to learn the track. It's not an easy one and still now I have no idea about the corners, only when I'm on the track do I know what I have to do. If you talked about a corner, right now, here: no chance. And this makes it the best track in the world and it's just unbelievable and so far I've only done it in a road car with a couple of journalists. I think they had quite a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to doing it in a proper race car. AS: Yeah, a fantastic circuit. I would say it's my favourite, the best in the world. I think it's the biggest circuit, there's so much history here but once you go on it, it doesn't matter which car you're in: a slow car, a road car or whatever, it's thrilling and it's incredible to drive these corners, up and down, so many corners. It doesn't matter which car, as I said. I've come here quite a few times, just to do the Nordschleife, sometimes with my road car with some friends. I was here last weekend. I drove down in my own car, did some laps, met up with a friend, another race driver and he was taking me around in his touring car. It was a good experience because he knew the track really well. I know it well but I have never done a race here, so it's a different area. I try to go on it all the time and every race that I've done here I've normally gone for a couple of laps on the Nordschleife on the Wednesday. NR: For me, there was just one really nice experience with my dad in 1995 when he was doing DTM. He took us round in an Opel Calibra Turbo, which at the time was the car he was racing and he drove a road car but it was still a very, very fast car and I remember his best friend was sitting in the back seat and my dad knows the track like the back of his hand, he knows every jump, every corner, in his mind, he knows it exactly. So we were going absolutely flat out and I just remember that the guy in the back was shouting so loudly. I think he would have preferred to open the door and jump out at 250kph rather than stay in the car. So it was quite a fun experience. SV: As soon as I got my licence, I used the opportunity (to come here) and I did a lap with a road car. I was completely lost but followed a friend and around half a lap I completely lost the brakes and I was lucky not to crash, so I had totally underestimated the performance of normal road car brakes. Then a couple of years later I had another opportunity with a friend who lives just down the road here close to Nürburgring and the Nordschleife. He has an old BMW 3-series, not very powerful but modified, so proper tyres and the chassis tuned a little bit. When there were normal tourists around the track, then it was quite big fun to chase them in this little car and even though you have no power on the straights, you were much faster in the corners. It was fun. I think I had five or six laps. First of all you are surprised how many corners there are and how long one lap really is but I think then you quite quickly get into the rhythm and you kind of recognise the corners more and more, so after five laps you roughly know where you are but it has been a few days and I think I have forgotten most of it but it would be nice to come back and do a couple of laps. Q. (Asen Stoyanov – Monitor Daily, Bulgaria) I would like to ask everybody what is your opinion about the possibility of having a Bulgarian Grand Prix in the next two or three years because tomorrow there will be negotiations with Mr Ecclestone? TG: I think you will get the same answer five times over but in the end, I think we all welcome a new track, a new race and I think last year we already had a couple of really good events. I think we welcome new tracks every time, new countries to visit, and I look forward to it. NH: It's very hard to judge because I don't know where it would take place, how it would be, but as Timo said, it's always great to go to new tracks, but not only that, but also to new countries, new cities but very hard to judge from where we sit, not spending a lot of time focussing on that. SV: I think it's all been said. As long as the circuit is nice, this is what we all enjoy most and if the spectators are great, if the atmosphere is great, so if there are plenty of Bulgarian race fans, it would be nice to go there. Q. (MC) What would you want from a new circuit like this? Changes in elevation? Overtaking places? NH: Nordschleife with more run-off. It would be nice to have overtaking opportunities but normally if you try to build those in, that doesn't make the track very exciting. What I found is that, as you just said, that elevation changes normally make it quite exciting. I think there are some or a lot of old tracks that have their own nature and are good fun but there are also some new tracks that are good fun. I don't think it's an easy job to build a track that is exciting to drive but I think the guys who are doing it have so much experience now that they should come up with a pretty good solution. Q. (Peter Lausmann – Rhein-Zeitung) Question to Nick: you mention physical fitness and you worked very hard before the beginning of the season, you even lost weight which is quite easy for a chubby guy like me but very hard for an athlete like you. You did all this stuff and now the car isn't that competitive. How frustrating is it and would you subject yourself to this torture again before a season? NH: Yeah, of course I would do it again. I assumed that we would be in a good position to really fight at the front but now, as we have cancelled KERS, I will go back to being fat! Q. (Sarah Holt – BBC) Question for you, Sebastian: I guess that a third win this season might make a nice birthday present for you and if it continues to be quite cold that could make life more difficult for Jenson. What are your feelings on those two things? SV: First of all, I think Germany is usually hotter than in the UK. I think this place is quite special, so we should be used to the heat, much more than an Englishman! No, as I said, it will be a very, very close fight until the end of the season and obviously they are in a better position than we are if you look at the championship placings. We will try everything we can. We will try at every single race, our target is to win, that's why we are here, to beat not just the Brawns but to beat everyone, because in the end, if you want to win, you have to beat every single person. A lot of things can happen quickly in sports. You never know what is going to happen, basically. Maybe they didn't have such a good race in Silverstone, we had a great race and all of a sudden people are talking more about a closer fight and so on. If it is the other way around here again, then people will have a different opinion and if it continues to go in our direction it will be closer. There is still a long, long way. Right now we are more of less at half time, halfway through the season. Every single race is important. We didn't always do the best job possible in the first couple of races but we are still in a very strong position and there's a long way to go. We are here to fight. Q. (Joris Fioriti – AFP) A quarter of the grid is German; don't you think that sometimes there are too many German drivers? And, especially for those at the back, is it good to have people talking about Sebastian right now? Nick and Adrian, you must suffer from that a little bit, or not? NH: I guess you're not German, asking this question! I think if you look at the last twenty, thirty, forty years of Formula One there have not always been five Germans. There were times when there was nobody and maybe a third or quarter of the field was Italian or French. That's just the way it goes. I think most of us sitting here were lucky that Michael had such a strong impact in the world of motor sport, in the world of F1, which maybe made it a bit easier for us to come here. Nobody knows how it will go in the future but I think the teams always try to get the quickest driver and their nationality is not that important. Your remark about there being more attention on Sebastian at the moment than on most of us sitting here is just very natural, I think. He's had a very good season, he's still in a position to fight for the championship with Jenson. Who would expect anything else? Q. (Mario Bauer – Berliner Zeitung) Nick, you've been in Formula One as long as Jenson has been. Does seeing him win now, having a car to do so, while you've both had ups and downs in your careers over all these years, does it make you a bit frustrated to see that you still don't have a car to win or does that give you confidence that you could do it as well, as long as you get the car? NH: I like to see him winning, it rather gives me confidence, although it's not only because of that. I believe in myself anyway but I think all the people I speak to and know are happy for him to win because he was fighting with not a good car and now he's able to show what he can do and it probably shows people that are not so much into Formula One how important the car is, but that's just the way it goes. Q. (Frederic Ferret – L'Equipe) Sebastian, as it is your home Grand Prix, do you feel that it is an advantage, do you have more things to do as Jenson lost his home Grand Prix last race? SV: I don't see this as a disadvantage. I think it's always nice to come here, as I said, for all of us. It's nice to see a lot of people mainly cheering for us. If anything it gives you more power and maybe that extra little you need but in the end, of course there are more people and maybe more attention but the thing that matters most is the racing, so you have to sometimes forget everyone and everything around you and just focus on what really matters. It might be a bit more difficult to keep the focus but that's the most important thing, the key I think, to focus on racing. In the end, you can get ten points, you can get ten points in England, Silverstone, or you could get ten points in Australia. It doesn't give you more points if you win here than anywhere else. Of course it's nicer to win your home Grand Prix but it's a long, long way and the race is on Sunday. First of all there is Friday, tomorrow, to prepare and then the qualifying. It's always a long way. Q. (Carole Capitaine – L'Equipe) A question for all of you: what about your future? Do you know where you will be next year, in which team and are you already working on that? SV: I know. NH: As you probably know, at BMW we don't speak about our contracts, so there's not much I can say. TG: Quite similar for me. These questions are sometimes quite difficult to answer but let's say the future doesn't look too bad. AS: Same for me. It's too early to talk about it, half the season is over and so many things can happen. Things still haven't been solved, the talking about where Formula One is going and I think that as soon as it is decided what happens with Formula One, then we can concentrate on the drivers. I can't say anything about my position anyway. NR: I'm looking at my options at the moment and that's it. There's not much more to say than that, other than I'm very, very happy with where I am at the moment. I'm very pleased with my team and it's working really well, working together with them, so that's the most important thing for now. SV: I've said it already. I've said I know. I can also now say.... whatever you want to hear. I think everybody knows about my situation next year. I'm very happy. We are very, very strong this year which may be a surprise for some people but I think maybe the last couple of years weren't the best for the team but I'm very pleased that at the moment that I arrived we had the right car to finally be where I think we deserved to be.

Bridgestone

Bridgestone returns to the circuit of Nurburgring after a year’s absence where the medium and super soft compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres will be used for the German Grand Prix on July 10-12. Last year’s race in Germany took place at Hockenheim, so this will be an interesting return to the venue which provided a very exciting wet weather race in 2007. The medium and super soft allocation is the same as used earlier this season in Australia, China and Bahrain. This is a location which has good historical importance for Bridgestone. The first major European race win on Bridgestone tyres occurred here on the Nordschleife circuit in April 1981, when Thierry Boutsen crossed the line first in his BMW-powered March 812 in the Formula 2 championship. Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, said: “Germany is a good market for Bridgestone and one where we experience high levels of brand awareness. Our participation in Formula One has played a big part in building this brand awareness and we always have strong support in the home country of so many major motor manufacturers. We are always happy to return to a venue which has rich history for us in the early days of Bridgestone’s motorsport participation.” *Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development What are the challenges of the Nurburging? “The Nurburgring circuit features an interesting mixture of very fast, medium fast and slow corners, so finding the correct set-up compromise is a challenge for competitors. Our tyre allocation of the medium and super soft Bridgestones should mean exciting racing. Sectors one and three are more demanding on tyre grip, traction and braking performance than in the middle sector, and it is an exciting undulating circuit. The first corner, which has a variety of racing lines, and the chicane provide good overtaking opportunities. Braking balance is also important here and care has to be taken not to lock-up and flat-spot the tyres when slowing.” Are there particular weather considerations? “Last time we visited this circuit there was a very exciting wet weather race. The location of the Nurburgring, in the Eifel region of Germany, does often present unpredictable weather. The time of year should mean quite hot weather, but we have previously seen quite cool temperatures there, even in the summer. When we look back on Bridgestone’s history at the Nurburgring, we’ve even seen snow on a DTM race weekend in April, so we never know quite what to expect!” Stats & Facts Number & Spec of tyres brought to Nurburgring 1800 (Medium & super soft dry. Intermediate/wets) Pole position time 2007: 1min 31.450secs (Raikkonen) Fastest race lap 2007: 1min 32.853secs (Massa) Top three 2007: Alonso, Massa, Webber

Ferrari

Raikkonen: "Proving statistics wrong at the Nürburgring" Maranello, 7th July 2009 - The statistics tell the opposite but I really like racing in Germany, especially at the Nürburgring. I gained the pole four times, but I could never win. Maybe I just wasn't lucky enough here and at Hockenheim. Just look at the last race for example. I gained the pole position, but right after the start there was a downpour and the race was suspended. When it started again I was on third position with a perfect strategy, but then I had to retire due to a hydraulic problem. Realistically this year our objective can't be a win. We still have to make up ground compared to the leaders as far as the performance is concerned. That's why the Team continued to work very hard over the last weeks to bring some new solutions to this race. The track should be better for the F60's characteristics than Silverstone, but we'll get a clearer picture during Friday's free practice sessions. To be competitive you need a car with good traction, which is very stable while braking. It's always difficult making predictions and promising something to the fans, but for us today a place on the podium is already a good result, considering that we've been there just once this year. There are still nine races until the end of this extremely difficult season for us. Our objective has to be to give it our all race after race, without thinking that the leaders are so many points ahead of us. I really trust the Team's work and its capacity to close the gap between us and the leaders. During this longer than usual break I went to Finland to enjoy the summer there with my family and some close friends and played some tennis. I want to thank Ferrari for giving me the possibility to participate in the 1000 Lakes Rally with the Fiat Grande Punto Abarth at the end of July. It will be my debut in a championship rally. As we don't have any tests during the season we've got plenty of spare time and it's nice to participate in a race to keep busy. I already tested over the last days, but my approach remains the same: it has nothing to do with Formula 1, it's pure pleasure. Massa: "I have been taking part in the presentation of a new car" *Maranello, 8th July - “I arrived back in Europe earlier this week, having spent the longer than usual break since the last race, at home in Sao Paulo. It was an enjoyable time, but rather quiet, as I just wanted to enjoy spending some time with my wife, who is pregnant, expecting our first child in November. Perfect timing from us for the baby to arrive conveniently after the end of the Formula 1 season! Everything is going well and it is a nice feeling knowing I am soon going to be a “papà.” Apart from that, I took part in a karting race with some friends. It was nothing serious, just some fun, driving a small 125 cc kart. Well, with an extra week in between the Grands Prix I had to get some racing done! “I’m in Maranello at the factory at the moment, then this afternoon (Wednesday) I am travelling to Germany because I am playing a football match for the Nazionale Piloti team, with some other F1 drivers and some guy called Michael Schumacher. The game takes place in Wiesbaden, so I hope a good crowd turns out, as we are playing for charity as usual. I play up front as a striker and if you ask me if I am any good, I would say that, for a racing driver, I’m quite a good football player, but there is no new career waiting! “Here in Maranello, I have been taking part in the presentation of a new car, the Ferrari 599 XX, which is used in a similar programme as the FXX one, where owners can actually contribute to the technical development of this “laboratory car,” running it with full factory support at various race tracks. I did quite a few laps with it on the Fiorano track and, as my brother and father are here with me, I was able to give them some exciting moments in the passenger seat. It’s a great car and fun to drive. “On Thursday I will arrive at the Nurburgring and I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the F60 again. The layout of this track should suit it better than the fast corners of Silverstone. A lot will depend on how we get the tyres to work and even if we have some new components that Kimi and I will be trying on Friday, it is impossible to say at this stage what we can expect from the weekend. The first half of the season was very hard to predict and I don’t see why it should be any different as we go into the second half.”

Williams

Nürburgring in a nutshell Back on the calendar after a one year sabbatical (Germany’s race alternates between the Nürburgring and Hockenheim), the Nürburgring is a straightforward circuit, predominantly a mix of low and medium speed corners, that requires an uncomplicated two stop strategy&ldots;.unless the local weather dictates otherwise. When Formula One last appeared at the track in 2007 it began raining torrentially within moments of the start, so much so that the race was briefly suspended. Talking technical Car dynamics Average turn angle indicates the average angle of a circuit’s corners expressed in degrees. The higher the average turn angle, the more acute the corners in the circuit’s configuration and the greater propensity for understeer to compromise lap time. Average turn angle at the Nürburgring is 1220 which is significantly higher than the average for the Championship. The circuit therefore has more effect on understeer than the majority of circuits on the calendar. The end of straight (EOS) speed at the Nürburgring was 303kp/h in 2007. The German track ranks as having the 6th lowest EOS speed on the 2009 calendar, and this is one indicator of the wing level typically selected to optimise the downforce/drag ratio. Meanwhile, the Nürburgring has the 5th lowest average lap speed of any of the tracks on the calendar. Pitlane & refuelling strategy The pitlane length and profile contribute to the determination of the optimum fuel strategy. The pitlane loss at the Nürburgring is approximately 20.6 seconds, the 8th most penalising pitlane in the Championship. To complete a normalised distance of 5km around the Nürburgring requires 2.43kg of fuel against an average of 2.42kg per 5km across all circuits this season, ranking the circuit as average in terms of fuel consumption. Safety car Another key contributor to the determination of race strategy is the likelihood of safety car deployments, which are influenced by weather considerations, the availability of clear run-off areas that allow racing to continue while recovery takes place and the circuit profile, especially the character of the entry and exit into turn one at the start of the race. There have been 3 safety car deployments in the last 12 races at the Nürburgring, making it relatively unlikely that there will be a safety car period, although the weather in the Eifel region is notoriously unpredictable so a safety car period can never be ruled out. Temperature, pressure & humidity As an example, it is a long observed tradition that drivers arriving at Interlagos complain about a lack of grip and an absence of engine power. Having become acquainted with a baseline of engine and aerodynamic performance during the season, the climb to 750 metres above sea level for one of the final races can, courtesy of the reduction in air density, rob a Formula One car of engine power, aerodynamic performance and cooling. The losses can come close to double digit percentages and thus have a very real impact on car performance. Air density is a factor of the prevailing ambient temperature, which varies most significantly by season, air pressure which is closely linked to altitude and, to a much smaller degree, by humidity. Thus if races are run at the same time each year, the factor that tends to have the greatest bearing on air density is elevation. The Nürburgring is 618m above sea level and has the 2nd lowest average pressure (946.50mbar) of any race venue in the 2009 Championship. As a consequence, the circuit’s ambient characteristics will result in a significant reduction in engine power. What the drivers say What we’ve been up to between races Kazuki “I had a full week off after Silverstone and went to Norway with my friend. We just drove around a lot and took in the landscape. The weather was great and we visited the most northern point of Europe which was really interesting, but really quite cold! I’ve been back in the factory everyday since using the simulator and training in the gym in preparation for Germany.” Nico “It was a busy week around Silverstone. Because it’s the team’s home Grand Prix, I went to the UK early to do lots of marketing and media commitments ahead of the weekend. It was then a busy race as well, so having the three weeks off before Germany was quite nice as I’ve spent the time just relaxing. I’ve been at home in Monaco catching up with friends and doing some training, I also took a short trip to Ibiza to spend some time on the beach!” Reflections on the British Grand Prix *Nico “Our performance at Silverstone, in fact in Turkey as well, has given me lots of optimism. The team are doing a really good job in terms of development and that is showing on the track. At Silverstone, we had another fifth place and those points moved us up another position in the Constructors’. We need to keep making that kind of progress for the rest of the season now. Hopefully, we’ll be on the podium soon.” Kazuki “Silverstone was a good race weekend until the first stint when it was really difficult to make any progress and we missed some opportunities, we cost us a place in the points. It’s not a case of having to try harder; it’s just waiting for it to all come together.” The Nürburgring – from a technical perspective *Nico “The Nürburgring is a very different track to say Silverstone because the average corner speeds are a lot slower. This means car set-up needs to be quite different so we will have a lot of things to test on Friday in order to find the right direction and to get the best out of the car. The FW31 has been very consistent and relatively quick on every track this year so I have high hopes that we can continue our good form.” *Kazuki “Like Nürburgring, it’s a tricky track but, unlike Silverstone, it’s more of a slow to medium speed circuit with lots of elevation. The weather can be a big factor at the Nürburgring, as can getting temperatures into the tyres as ambient can be quite low. Set-up-wise though it should be fairly straightforward. I haven’t raced a Formula One car around the Nürburgring, only a GP2 car, but I had a good race then so I hope that experience will help me. I’ve also done lots of lap on the sim, so I hope I’m well prepared.” *Thinking about Germany and the Eifel region *Nico “Going to Germany is a bit special for me as it’s my home Grand Prix and the circuit, together with Hockenheim, is the one that I know the best. Racing in front of your home crowd is a real buzz and the German fans in particular are really passionate about the sport, so there’ll be a good atmosphere. After a long break since the last race, I can’t wait to get back out on track now and getting another good result would make the weekend perfect for me.” Kazuki “It’s a beautiful part of the world, and very close to Cologne which I’ve visited lots of times as I have a lot of Japanese friends at Toyota. The German fans are really passionate, but I think this year they will be more so because of Vettel and Nico who are doing a great job.”

Force India

For the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship the German Grand Prix switches back to the Nurburgring in the heart of the Eifel Mountains to the west of Germany. The event, held from 10 – 12 July, will be the ninth round of the 17-round series and the home event for Force India’s engine partner, Mercedes-Benz. Following a competitive British Grand Prix that saw Giancarlo Fisichella race to tenth overall, just under two seconds from eighth and the last point-scoring position, the Force India Formula One Team has high hopes of opening its point-scoring account this weekend. The team has used the extended three-week gap between races to hone the new aero package debuted in Silverstone and finalise smaller modifications that will be introduced in Germany. Team Q&A *Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal The team introduced a new aero package at Silverstone. How pleased were you to see it work so well? We were constrained by time in designing and building the initial version of the VJM02, and we had very little pre-season testing time. We knew we had to introduce a significant upgrade in Bahrain, then a more comprehensive upgrade at Silverstone. I think this upgrade showed that the car is now a true, strong midfield competitor. The bottom line is that we’re there, and all that I had programmed for the team in terms of gradual improvement in 2009 is happening. Given our relatively small size, this is a great achievement and we’ll keep going flat out up to the mandatory August break. I hope that we will score some points during the remainder of this season. Otherwise I’m more than just optimistic – in fact I’m pretty confident – that from 2010 onwards we will be in the points on a regular basis. And that leads me to believe that my often stated objective of being on the podium in 2011 isn’t a pipe dream anymore! How satisfying is it to now see the team running in the midfield now? To be beating cars like the McLarens, the BMWs, the Renaults says a lot for a small team like Force India. In Silverstone there were no luck stories, like it rained or some extraordinary event happened. This is pure racing and that’s what gives me the confidence that we’ll get there. I can only really say more when we actually get points in our pocket. The commitment of the team and the guys in the factory is fantastic. And not only are we running well, our preparation is also top notch. Adrian’s car was a wreck after qualifying but in effect they built up a new car overnight and Adrian took the start. It was a great effort. The entire team is so motivated now, they’re going that extra mile. Everybody was pleased with the Silverstone performance, and I think this gives them the confidence that they can actually do it. What can we expect from the team in Germany? As we have had a longer gap between Silverstone and Germany the team back at the factory has been working very hard on consolidating the step forward we made at the last event. We will have a continuation of the new front wing assembly we used in Britain and a new detail on the floor. The upgrades in Silverstone gave us extra performance and we’d all like to convert this into a points-scoring position in Germany. Giancarlo was so close to getting them and as I’ve said, if we had qualified higher perhaps it could have been our race. I know Adrian was frustrated by the Grand Prix and, with this being his home event, he will want to put on a good show in Germany. Driver Q&A Adrian Sutil (car 20, VJM02/01) It’s just over the midpoint of the season. Looking at your season so far, has it been as expected for you? I think it’s been a good season so far. We have been able to finish a lot of races and in the last two or three events it was possible to go into Q2, which was a big success for us. For sure the last race in Silverstone was a bit disappointing as it was an important race with our new updates and we had an incident in qualifying. Without this I think we could have been really close to the points, or even in the points. But overall we are consistently making progress and that’s the most important. Have you had any ill effects from the crash in Silverstone? No not at all. I’m completely fine now and looking forward to Germany! What can we expect in Germany from you? Q2 would be very nice and hopefully it would be enough for some points. It’s definitely time to get a few. Let’s see what the other teams have update-wise as I expect maybe one or two to move a bit to the front and we don’t have a major update this time round. But we were pretty strong in Silverstone and I expect to be similar in Germany. *Giancarlo Fisichella (car 21, VJM02/04) Silverstone was a very competitive race for you. Do you feel the team had made some good progress in the last few events? Yes, for sure – the races we’ve had in Monaco and now Silverstone clearly show this. Last year we were struggling at some of the tracks to race with other teams and sometimes I would have very lonely races, but this season we’ve been right there fighting. It’s very encouraging. Every part we’ve put on the car this year has made a difference in performance so we’re clearly going in the right direction. It’s very motivating for the team and for me personally as a driver. When you’re in the hunt you want it so much more. Are you looking forward to Germany? The Nurburgring is a great track. There’s lots of camber and gradient change and you can overtake in a couple of corners, which is obviously going to be good for us if we are midfield again. This time out I want to get into Q2, which I think should be possible, and then with a better starting position hopefully we’ll be able to finish higher. We’re so close to the points I want to finish the job now! How much would it mean to get those points? For the team it would be a huge boost. Everyone works really hard and to be this close is actually a bit frustrating. To get this weight off our shoulders would really set us up for the rest of the season. Force India German GP points of note: The German Grand Prix is obviously Adrian’s home event, although his family are based some 550km away in the south of Germany. Twenty-six year old Adrian was born in Starnberg, just outside Munich. Since 1997 Giancarlo Fisichella has raced at the Nurburgring in Formula 1 11 times. However before he made his F1 debut, Giancarlo also raced at the circuit on two occasions when he was part of the Alfa Romeo DTM squad (1995 and 1996). Force India’s predecessors, Spyker, had an encouraging race during the last F1 event at the Nurburgring. Heavy rain fell just before the start and Markus Winkelhock, making his Grand Prix debut, pitted on the formation lap. Markus found himself at the head of the field, more than 30secs ahead, when the race was suspended. His lead evaporated at the re-start behind the safety car and he later retired with hydraulic failure. German Grand Prix information The modern Nürburgring first hosted an F1 race in 1984 and again in 1985 but it did not return to the calendar until 1995 at the peak of Michael Schumacher’s success. At the time, the Eifel track’s event was called the European GP as Hockenheim hosted the German Grand Prix, however in 1997 and 1998 it was renamed the Luxembourg GP to leave Jerez access to the European mantle. From 2007 the Nürburgring and the Hockenheimring have alternated years as the host of the German Grand Prix and and it’s the latter’s turn this year. The old Nürburgring-Nordschleife sends a shiver down every Grand Prix driver’s spine, however the newer incarnation is decidedly tame by comparison to its historic and intimidating 14 mile, 174 corner predecessor. The new, purpose-built track was completed in 1984 to meet the highest safety standards and further changes came in 2002 when the former ‘Castrol-chicane’ at the end of the start/finish straight was replaced by a sharp right-hander to create an overtaking opportunity. Also, a slow section was inserted, on the site of the former kart track, thus extending the track. Q & A with Adrian Sutil Q. The next Grand Prix takes place on your home soil in Germany. What does it mean to race in front of your home crowd? Adrian Sutil: The German Grand Prix is always a special event for me and to race at the Nurburgring has a great feeling. The atmosphere is really special there as the big Nurburgring, the Nordschleife, has so much racing history, it's perhaps one of the most famous circuits in the world. Everywhere around the circuit is just about racing - go into a restaurant and you see a lot of pictures of cars or drivers. It's a great place to be, and to race there as a German gives a special feeling, like you're stepping into the history. Q. The old Nordschleife was a fearsome track, have you driven it? AS: I've driven round the Nordschleife a few times: normally you go on the Wednesday before the race in a normal road car. It really opens your eyes as it's just an incredible circuit. It gives you ultimate respect for the people who did drive it. You can really compare it to a rollercoaster going up and down - it's just unbelievable. It doesn't matter which car you use, the track is just really impressive. Unfortunately we only drive on the small circuit now but still there is a special something you can feel even on this version. Q. How is the new Nurburgring for you personally? AS: I like it a lot. It's a good circuit that can be quite tricky to get right. There's a lot of banking and the corners make it difficult to find a good set up as the car behaves differently in different corners, it surprises you. This circuit flows up and down and when you go to the Dunlop corner it's steep downhill with camber, so it's interesting in this way. Of course the track is much more modern than the Nordschleife but there are still famous and tricky corners so it remains a challenge. Q. Have you raced at the Nurburgring many times in your career? What's been the best memory so far? AS: I have a lot of memories from the track. It's where I did my racing licence, and one of the first circuits I drove on with a racing car. I've raced there in nearly all the categories I've done in my career, so Formula BMW, F3 and now F1 of course, so nearly every step up the ladder has been at the Nurburgring. Q. There's five German drivers in F1 at the moment - do you think there's a big culture of motorsport in the country? AS: There are quite a lot of different championships you can start in and you can do several young driver programmes so there are opportunities if you want to start out. But if you are brought up in Germany you're very aware of motorsport and motoring. There's very historic car manufacturers, Germany has always produced a lot of race drivers in the past and you can go on the Nordschleife - everyone can drive it, so many people go there and just do a couple of laps. In this respect it's easy in Germany to get close to motorsport and have a taste of it. Of course the long era of Michael Schumacher also made Formula 1 headline news, which has encouraged a lot of drivers. Q. Was Michael an influence for you? AS: Yes for sure. When I started racing he was at the highpoint of his career so I always saw him winning. He was a really impressive driver, a complete package, and is still a hero for a lot of drivers in Germany. He was really pushing the sport up there. I've been lucky enough to meet him a few times now but it's always a special thing to meet him. Q. Looking at your season so far, it's just over the midpoint of the season. Has it been as expected for you? AS: I think it's been a good season so far. We have been able to finish a lot of races and in the last two or three events it was possible to go into Q2, which was a big success for us. For sure the last race in Silverstone was a bit disappointing as it was an important race with our new updates and we had an incident in qualifying. Without this I think we could have been really close to the points, or even in the points. But overall we are making progress and that's the most important. Q. You and Giancarlo have been very evenly matched this year. How is he as a team-mate? AS: It's really good to have him as a team-mate. Last year I learnt quite a lot and this year we are still very close to each other, which is what you want in a team-mate. Looking at the other teams I think we are the closest to each other in times and qualifying position: we are generally always one position in front of each other. In some other teams you don't have that - sometimes one guy is in the top 10, the other is last and then it changes the next race, so there is much more offset. With us we're pushing each other all the way. It's a strong team, both of us are doing well and the competition is good. Q. What can we expect in Germany from you? AS: Q2 would be very nice and hopefully it would be enough for some points. It's definitely time to get a few. Let's see what the other teams have update-wise as I expect maybe one or two to move a bit to the front and we don't have a major update this time round. But we were pretty strong in Silverstone and I expect to be similar in Germany. Q. And a busy programme for you in Germany? AS: I expect it will be fairly busy. I have some personal sponsor appearances I will make and then there's always a lot of German media to speak to. But it's all part of the job!

Renault

The ING Renault F1 Team looks forward to round nine of the season, the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Fernando Alonso: “The Nürburgring is a good place to go racing” You had high hopes for the British Grand Prix, but things didn’t work out in the race... We thought that Silverstone would suit the car, but after qualifying we realised that we were not as competitive as we had hoped. In the race I made a poor start and got stuck behind Heidfeld who was heavy on fuel, which ended my chance of finishing in the points. I still had some fun battles, especially with Lewis [Hamilton], but I prefer to be fighting at the front. *Are you optimistic that the team can make up the performance gap to the leaders soon? The position we are in at the moment is similar to last year, but this time all the teams are much closer together and so it’s more difficult to take a big step forward. If you can find three of four tenths with an upgrade, it can make a huge difference and put you five or six places higher up the grid. That’s what the team is looking for – that magic component which gives us a big boost, but we know it’s not easy to find. It has been a couple of years since you’ve raced at the Nürburgring, are you looking forward to going back there? It’s not the most exciting circuit of the year, but it’s a good place to go racing as the track has a bit of everything and so the car has to work well in every part of the lap. There are fast corners where you need a lot of downforce and slow corners where braking stability and good traction are important. We have some new developments for this race, which will hopefully improve our situation and allow us to get some points in the race, but we know all the other teams will have improved as well. We also need to work on our starts because if you lose ground on the first lap it’s very difficult to recover. Nelson Piquet: “I’m looking forward to driving a Formula One car at the Nürburgring” Looking back to Silverstone, how do you rate your weekend? The end result was disappointing although I think I managed to get the most from the race as our one-stop strategy worked well. Unfortunately my problems started in qualifying as I had a technical issue and had to abort my final run in Q2, which meant I started the race from 14th. Starting so far back makes it difficult to score points, but I still pushed hard and made up some ground in the race. Overall it was a pretty frustrating weekend for the team. Will this be the first time you’ve driven a Formula One car at the Nürburgring? Yes, because last year the German Grand Prix was at Hockenheim where I finished second behind Lewis Hamilton. However, driving at the Nürburgring won’t be a new experience for me as I raced there a couple of times in GP2 and I’ve always gone well and enjoyed it. I’m definitely looking forward to driving there in my Formula One car. What are your expectations for the weekend? The team have been working hard since Silverstone with some upgrades, mainly to the aero which should give us a boost. After Silverstone I said that it was down to me to improve in qualifying and so I’d love to make it into the top ten, which would give me a realistic chance of scoring my first points of the year. You also need to keep an eye on the weather at the Nürburgring as it’s near the mountains and conditions change very quickly, a bit like in Spa. We can probably expect at least a couple of showers over the weekend. *Pat Symonds: “Finishing the season with the third fastest car still has to be the target” Pat, how do you look back on the team’s performance at the last race at Silverstone? We had certainly hoped for a better result. In free practice we were more or less in our usual position, but in the third part of qualifying we did not perform at the level we expected to. Then we had a poor start to the race and spent a lot of time stuck in traffic, which made it very difficult to recover. However, when we did have some clean air the car’s pace was about where we expected it to be and so while the result wasn’t good enough, it’s perhaps not as bad as it appeared. Where is the team concentrating its efforts to improve competitiveness? As always we are concentrating our attention on aero as it’s still the fundamental element that brings the most speed to the car. But rather than just putting parts on the car, we’re also working on the usability of that aero: exploring the aero mapping so that we get the most from the car in every corner. *What upgrades can we expect for the Nürburgring? New developments are introduced at every race and we’ve got a reasonable upgrade for the Nürburgring, which includes a further version of the new front wing that we evaluated at Silverstone. We’re also hoping to have some new rear wheel fairings and an updated engine cover as well as some mechanical upgrades. It’s been a couple of years since we raced at the Nürburgring, does that change your approach or preparation at all? Not really because preparation for a race always involves looking back over many years. We also have to remember that we are dealing with quite a different car this year and so our knowledge of how we ran last year’s car is not as relevant as it has been in the past. One area we will look back on is tyre behaviour because even with the switch from grooved to slick tyres, we can see if the track causes graining or has particularly high wear rates. Is the Nürburgring a technically challenging circuit? It’s a circuit with a bit of everything: fast corners, slow corners, chicanes and heavy braking areas. We therefore use a very typical set-up as we have to compromise through the speed range, as we do for most circuits. What are the realistic targets in the second half of the season? We are in a similar position to last year when we said that we wanted to end the season with the third fastest car. Doing that this year is probably more difficult as the middle bunch of teams is much tighter and we have limitations on where we can develop. But finishing the season with the third fastest car still has to be the target, although where that leaves us in the championship standings is difficult to predict. Tech File: Nürburgring The Nürburgring has a reputation for being a ‘complete’ circuit in the sense that it includes a wide variety of corners. There are high-speed sections, medium-speed chicanes, and some very slow corners with high traction demands. The R29 will have to meet all of these challenges this weekend. Overtaking is difficult but possible into the first corner and the chicane at turns 13 and 14. However, the weather is a constant concern and no matter what the season, rain and cool conditions are an ever-present threat in the Eifel mountains. Aerodynamics The Nürburgring demands some of the highest downforce levels of the season, not only for the numerous high and medium-speed corners, but also to maintain good stability under heavy braking for the first corner and the slow chicane of turns 13 and 14. Fernando explains: “The left-right chicane of turns 13 and 14 is probably the best overtaking opportunity as it’s one of the biggest braking zones of the lap. If you are following another car closely, you can pick up a good slipstream on the approach and make a lunge down the inside. We take it at about 100 km/h in second gear and you need to be aggressive with the curbs to straight-line the chicane as much as possible and carry speed through the corner.” Chassis balance Corners such as turns 5/6, 8/9 and 10/11 in particular demand a neutral handling balance to avoid compromising the optimum line through the second corner in the sequence, and the engineers will often work through the weekend to dial out understeer in the medium-speed corners. A quick, responsive change of direction is required in both the slow-speed section at the start of the lap, and through the quicker corners. Mechanical grip is particularly important through turns 1 to 4, but cannot be achieved at the expense of aerodynamic performance around the rest of the lap. Fernando explains: “The run through turns 1 to 4 is not very exciting for the drivers, but we spend a lot of time in them and that means that any mistake is likely to be very costly, especially in qualifying. We need to be precise with our braking and keep the car under control all the time as too much understeer, oversteer or a missed apex will put you out of shape for the following corners. The car balance is never perfect at such low speeds either, so we are always fighting understeer in the very slow corners, and a nervous rear end when we accelerate away.” Tyres Tyre performance will, as always, be a critical performance parameter for all teams this weekend with Bridgestone providing the super-soft and medium compounds from its 2009 range. Ambient conditions will play a role in determining which compound is the preferred tyre for the race as we often experience cool temperatures at the Nürburgring. Brakes Wear on the brakes is not a major concern. None of the braking zones are particularly severe and there is no reason to think that wear levels on the discs and pads should be abnormally high as a result. Engine The Nürburgring is not a circuit that presents the engines with any extreme challenges, and its overall impact is further reduced by the fact that the circuit is situated at altitude, some 500m above sea level. This has the effect of reducing engine power by approximately 5%, while also reducing loads on certain engine components such as the pistons. The engine is at full throttle for just over 64% of the lap – a value slightly above the season average of approximately 62%. The longest single period at full throttle barely exceeds ten seconds, so the main challenge for the engine team is ensuring strong performance from low revs so the engine launches well out of the slow corners, particularly turn 7 which leads onto the uphill drag to turn 10. Nelson explains: “We approach turn 7 downhill in seventh gear at almost 300km/h before braking and downshifting to third for the hairpin. It’s really important to stay online and hit the apex through this corner so that you can apply the throttle early on the exit to carry as much speed on the long drag back up the hill towards the high-speed chicane of turns 8 and 9.” The circuit includes a number of elevation changes, but none are sudden enough to cause the engine systems any concern. The only note of caution is finding the best line through some of the bumpier corners, and particularly the chicane, to avoid spending too much time on the rev limiter, which is potentially damaging for the engine.

Toyota

*Jarno Trulli, Toyota 2008 Qualifying - 4th, 2008 Race - 9th "The Nurburgring is such a famous track in motorsport and it is fantastic to go there and see the old Nordschleife. The new track is a bit different to say the least but in its own way it is still a challenge. It is actually a track I know really well and I have had some good days there, particularly in 1999 when I finished on the podium for the first time in Formula One. I am always optimistic and it would be great to fight for another podium 10 years on from that. We showed in qualifying at Silverstone that we are competitive, even though the race was frustrating as a result of the start, so I am hopeful for this weekend. It is an important race for the team with the factory only an hour away so that gives me even more motivation to succeed this weekend. I know we will have a lot of support so I hope I can give them the result we all want." *Timo Glock, Toyota 2008 Qualifying - 11th, 2008 Race - DNF "This is my home track and it will be the first time I have raced a Formula One car there so I am really excited. Obviously the modern Nurburgring is nothing like the old Nordschleife, which is just an incredible circuit. I drove a Toyota Auris around it recently and it's so much fun but completely different from a modern Formula One circuit. I enjoy the modern NUrburgring and it is a track I am really familiar with after growing up in German racing. In fact, the first Formula One race I attended was at the Nurburgring in 2000 when I was competing in one of the support races so it will be a special feeling for me this weekend. It's surprising we are already at the halfway point of the season - it has gone so quickly. I've had some good races so far and it has been nice to be battling at the front quite often. This weekend is another chance to do that and I can't wait." *Pascal Vasselon, Toyota senior general manager chassis: "The Nurburgring does not place any specific demand on a Formula One car; it requires an average aero efficiency level with average tyre severity and doesn't put any particular strain on brakes, suspension or engine. The main concern is with the weather and consequently with tyre warm-up because the track is close to the mountains and if you are unlucky you can experience cool temperatures and rain. We haven't raced at the Nurburgring since 2007 but the lay-out hasn't changed since then so our database is still valid, although obviously we have to make adjustments to take into account the aerodynamic changes and slick tyres. The British Grand Prix didn't go as well as expected but our qualifying performance was encouraging, as was Timo's pace out of traffic in the race, and we aim to be stronger this weekend." German Grand Prix Technical Preview Q+A - Timo Glock What is your history with the Nürburgring? The first time I went there was in 2000 when I was racing in ADAC Formula Junior, during my first season of car racing. Since then I’ve been there quite a lot, particularly before I reached Formula 1 in 2004 as basically all my racing was in Germany. So it feels like a second home to me. It’s also a race where I have generally always had success; I won or was on the podium in almost every race I’ve had there. What is your best memory of the Nürburgring? I have a lot of good memories but the best is probably from GP2 in 2007. The year before I was not in a competitive car and I struggled in the midfield, which is basically my only bad memory of the track. But when GP2 went back there in 2007 I was with iSport so it was a different story. I qualified on pole by more than half a second and won the feature race, then finished fifth in the sprint race. That was a really good weekend for my championship and it’s the last time I raced at the Nürburgring so I hope I can keep up the good record! Is it special for you to race at the Nürburgring? Nowadays it is a great feeling to race at the Nürburgring because I am in my own country, with lots of my fans in the grandstands and some family and friends around as well. It’s also one of Toyota’s home races so that makes it special for the team too. But I have to say until I started competing in Formula 1 or GP2 it wasn’t unusual at all to be racing on home ground because I grew up in German racing so every event was a local one! Once I moved into international competition I only raced in Germany once or twice a year, if at all, so then it became a really special thing for me. Do you have a favourite corner on the current Formula 1 lay-out? I don’t have a favourite corner as such but the left-right Schumacher S is an enjoyable part of the track. It was flat-out last year but with the new regulations it might be different this time. Apart from that the track has a nice flow, although the revised first sector is a bit slower than it used to be and overall it is really difficult to overtake. *Is it more motivating to race in your home Grand Prix or does it put you under additional pressure? I don’t feel any extra pressure at my home race; everything is positive. From track to track my motivation doesn’t really change; I always give my all and do my very best to get a strong result for the team. Sure, it might be a bit more enjoyable to succeed in my home race but it doesn’t make any difference to my lap time – or to the number of points given out at the end. Every race is important so if you’re not giving 100% you are not doing your job properly. What do you think of the Nordschleife lay-out? It is a massively impressive track and it’s really quite incredible to think they used to race Formula 1 cars around there. I first drove it around eight years ago and I was completely taken aback by the place; I had never seen a race track which is 22km long! Even in a road car you feel the speed and the excitement so it must have been awesome in a Formula 1 car. There are a lot of corners and I can’t remember all the names! But I can drive a whole lap and know what’s coming next; that’s the important bit. I don’t have one favourite corner because they are all fantastic. It’s just a really, really nice track to drive. How often have you experienced the Nordschleife since that first time? I haven’t driven it so much since then, maybe 10 laps or so, but I was there a few weeks ago in a Toyota Auris, which was great fun. I did a few laps and it still gives me a great feeling of excitement. I used to play on some video games quite a bit and drive the Nordschleife, but I don’t have time for that now. How is your relationship with the German fans? I feel more and more support from the German fans every year I am in Formula 1. It’s good to have a lot of fans in the grandstands; it’s a nice feeling to see people wearing Toyota caps and shirts. With five German drivers on the grid the German fans have a lot of guys to support and we all feel very much at home at the Nürburgring or Hockenheim. Toyota is the local team for the Nürburgring so we will have a lot of support and I hope we can give them the result they expect. If you weren’t a Formula 1 driver, would you go to watch the German Grand Prix? That’s hard to say because it’s tricky to consider what I would do in a completely different situation to the one I am in. But I’ve seen the fans in the campsites with their loud music, having a few drinks and just being passionate about Formula 1 for the whole weekend; they seem to have a lot of fun. Maybe you get more information from the TV but you don’t have that atmosphere so I think I’d be there with the fans where the action is.

BMW

You always have a special attachment to your home race - in both good times and bad - and the BMW Sauber F1 Team is certainly looking forward to the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. Many chapters of success in BMW's motor sport history have been written at the circuit in the Eifel mountains, which is also used to put seriesproduction cars through the most rigorous of testing. Plus, the company has played its part in the extensive modifications carried out at the 'Ring. *Robert Kubica: "The Nürburgring is our home race. Even though this season has not gone well for us so far, there will be a lot of BMW Sauber F1 Team fans there crossing their fingers for us. This is just the right time to put in a strong performance and record a good result. However, I have to admit that the track itself is not one of my favourites. Having said that, it does have a big variety of corners and also opportunities to overtake. The best of these is in the first corner, where you can take various different lines. So I expect we'll see more passing moves again at the Nürburgring and enjoy an exciting race." *Nick Heidfeld: "It goes without saying that our verdict on the season at the half-way point is anything but positive. Especially when you compare our results so far with our aims going into the season. Of course I hope we will make improvements, and that's what everybody in the team is working to achieve. "A lot of fans and fan club members traditionally come to my home race. That is something I really enjoy and it gives me an extra shot of motivation. I will once again be lining up for my home race with a special helmet design. This year it has been created by a fan on my website, and he will present me with the helmet before the start of practice on Friday. "I have many happy memories of the Nürburgring. I went there a lot with my parents when I was a child and the 'Ring is only an hour away from my home town of Mönchengladbach. In winter we went sledging on the Hohe Acht slopes, I learnt to ride a bicycle at the Nürburgring and this was also where I sat in a kart for the first time - with a tyre and a blanket wedged behind my back so that I could reach the pedals. "Since then I've competed in races at the 'Ring in Formula Ford, Formula 3 and Formula 3000 and celebrated many victories there. My best Nürburgring result in Formula One was in 2005 when I took pole position and finished second in the race itself. "For me, the Nordschleife is the most sensational race track in the world. In April 2007 I drove our Formula One car on the circuit, which was just brilliant! It was amazing to turn off the grand-prix course onto the Nordschleife and drive along this huge race track all alone in front of all those people." *Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director: "Going into the German Grand Prix, we cannot be happy with the season so far. After three successful years, this recent period has been the first set-back for our team - and is one we will overcome. After all, this is the same team in Munich and Hinwil that has delivered continuous improvements since the team was founded. We are all absolutely determined to start moving forwards again and I expect us to experience an upturn in form. It is certainly not easy to make up lost ground without the chance to do any testing, but that is what we're aiming to do. We are bringing a series of mechanical improvements to the Eifel mountains, as well as a further developed version of our double-decker diffuser. "We feel a particular bond with the Nürburgring. Every series-produced BMW is tested on the Nordschleife circuit and BMW has celebrated some great successes in touring car racing here in the Eifel. The company also runs a Driver Training base here, as well as the BMW Lounge and the BMW Ring Taxi for the Nordschleife. Added to which, we are lending our name to the newly erected BMW M Power Tribüne grandstand on the start/finish straight." *Willy Rampf, Head of Engineering: "After our disappointing performance at Silverstone we have to turn things around at the Nürburgring. That's something we owe our many fans who always come to the race here. The characteristics of the Nürburgring mean the cars tend to understeer here. The key question is: how do you set the car up to stop it pushing over the front wheels too much? That can be resolved by an optimal aero balance combined with the corresponding mechanical set-up. We will be bringing a modified version of our double-decker diffuser to the Nürburgring, and we have also made improvements on the mechanical side. Much will doubtless depend on how successful we are at getting the tyres to work."

Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel interview At My Home Grand Prix I'll be Even More Motivated...' Our Silverstone winner talks about Nürburgring, his chances of a home victory and the local schnitzel. This is the first time you've come to the Nürburgring as a Formula One driver. Is it a good feeling? Yes, I have a lot of good memories of the Nürburgring. I've already done a lap on the Nordschleife behind the wheel of a kart and I've done a lot of races here in Formula BMW, F3 and the Renault World Series. Which was your first race here? It was in 2003 in the Formula BMW. And your most successful? Wins in the Formula BMW when it was a Formula One support race, wins in the Formula 3 Euroseries, wins in the 3.5 World Series by Renault. Does a home race still mean an advantage nowadays? Yes, I'd say it's like a soccer match when you play on your home ground. You always give 100%, but in a home race you're even more motivated, because at home you feel comfortable. Not far from the Nürburgring, in Kerpen, I got a lot of kart experience which is why I have many friends in this region. Are drivers influenced by the spectators during a race? During the 90 minutes of the race I do not think about which country I'm in, because I am concentrated on racing. But before and after, this is special because being at home is the best place to stay. Are you aware of the fans' enthusiasm and the atmosphere around the track? Of course. I like it that there are so many fans of motorsport and that these people are cheering and support you with horns, flags and stuff like this. That influences your mood in a positive way. There is nothing better than the in-lap in front of your home crowd after winning a race. Winning your home grand prix is something special. Do you occasionally let yourself dream of doing so? Yes, but generally by day&ldots; I am always happy when I have won a race. But listening to the German anthem in Germany when you are a German then it is definitely something very special. Which sector of the circuit do you like most? The section from the Ford-Corner to the long 180? right-hander in the valley. And beside the Warsteiner Corner including the left-hander before. And which corners are the most tricky? I think the Ford Corner and Warsteiner Corner including the left-hander before are the most delicate ones. Where are the best chances to overtake? The NGK-Chicane - a demanding left-right high-speed corner - just invites you to outbrake somebody, because following the fast Hatzenbachbogen corner, you slow down to about 100kph. Will the car be upgraded for this round? The guys in the factory are working hard, so we have new parts at every race&ldots; You push to improve, you're racing, and you're on duty because of sponsors - how many hours a week are you actually working? I'm not a civil servant, I don't have to record my working hours and I don't have to use a time clock. Beside that - I enjoy the work and that's why I do not have to concern myself with clocking on and off. Do you ever wish you did do a 9-5 job? No - for sure I am not. I am one of the happy people who managed to turn their hobby into their profession. Do you divide the workload of Friday testing and general development with your team-mate? New parts which need to be tested are divided between me and Mark. For example, one tests the front wing and the other the suspension. Additional we share the data about tyres. Mark's driving style is similar to mine, which makes it all easier for the team, because there is just one direction of development. Which is easier: to improve as a driver or to develop a Formula One car? It's a combination of both. The driver improves and, if necessary, he adapts his driving style to the car or the tyres. It is the same with the car, which is modified to make it faster and to meet the driver's style. Formula One drivers always try to push their limits. How much of your potential do you feel you have used so far? Is this enough to win the 2009 German Grand Prix? A Formula One driver never goes beyond the limit. At best he will exactly reach the limit. You can say that you will win a certain race only if you are sure you have the right equipment, which means the right car. Between the lines that means: wait and see! People often talk about the myths of the Nürburgring. Are the circuit, the region and the Nordschleife special from your point of view? The Nordschleife is a beautiful track - one of the best of all. It goes up and down, there are many fast corners&ldots; it's just fun to drive there. For sure the Eifel Mountains are something special, because the weather can change at any time - for good reason the Nordschleife is responsible for the myths. The new Nürburgring is one of the better modern tracks. Even the schnitzel in the local pubs is legendary&ldots; Press release We know what you journalists think of us press officers: school kids could do it better. The ones who are good at languages could write better press releases and the scientific ones would do a better job of explaining how car weight distribution affects tyre graining. So, for Sebastian Vettel’s home race we went back to his school, Starkenburg-Gymnasium in Heppenheim, and asked pupils in the 5th, 6th and 7th grade to produce some work based around its most famous pupil. The result – posters, paintings and models – will be on display in the Red Bull Energy Station in the Nurburgring F1 paddock over the German Grand Prix weekend. And in case you think we’ve forgotten our other driver, Mark Webber made use of the minibreak since the British GP to visit the British round of the Superbike World Championship at Donington Park Circuit on 28 June.

McLaren

*Lewis Hamilton: "The last time we raced at the Nurburgring was in 2007, and I remember I had a tough afternoon battling through from the back of the field to finish just outside the points. It's a fantastic circuit, a little older than a lot of the current tracks we currently visit and with quite a different feel to what we're used to: it's fast and flowing with some good spots for overtaking. And it's in a fantastic part of the world too; deep in the forests of western Germany, where the fans seem to live and breathe Formula 1. It's always an amazing party atmosphere whenever we race in Germany. "While we aren't expecting any major upgrades for this weekend, I'm still looking forward to the race. It's an honour to be part of the Silver Arrows and, while our results haven't recently shown it, we're still pushing incredibly hard and are all hopeful of moving closer to the front before the end of this difficult season." Heikki Kovalainen: "The Nurburgring is a great circuit. It's got a variety of different corners - some quite tricky, technical sections that need a good flowing rhythm and some faster bends, where the car needs to be well set up. Cresting the rise through the uphill esses after the hairpin just feels fantastic in a Formula 1 car. Coming to Germany is the perfect time to pay tribute to the efforts of everyone at Mercedes-Benz. Their engines are probably the most powerful and most reliable in the sport and their KERS is also fantastic. "Mercedes-Benz has played such a big role in the success of our team, so I'm really hoping to have a strong race in front of all our supportive fans at our second home race of the season. Myself, Lewis and the rest of the team are working hard to develop this car – it's a long process, but we are all pulling together and we're hopeful of making some further steps soon." Martin Whitmarsh - Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: "The Santander German Grand Prix is our team's second home race of the year. Having had such a fantastic and close relationship with Mercedes-Benz for 15 years means we meet many old friends in Germany and we really enjoy the fantastic support we receive – not only from the many thousands of Mercedes-Benz employees who attend the race, but also from the hugely vocal crowd that always plays such a large part in making the atmosphere at a German racetrack so unique. "While we can't expect to match our previous record in Germany, where we've won the race for the past two seasons, we're still pushing hard to develop MP4-24 into a more competitive proposition. Make no mistake, we're hugely proud of having the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star on the front of our cars – and nothing would make us prouder than getting back to the front again as soon as we possibly can." *Norbert Haug - Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "We finished the previous grand prix at the Nurburgring in 2007 as winners, as well as last year's Santander German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. This year, we will start without a chance of winning, because our work of improving the car did not bring the desired success. Therefore, we have to continue working extremely hard. "At the Nurburgring, the Silver Arrows were born and we will commemorate their 75th anniversary with a parade on the racetrack and an exhibition at the paddock entrance to present their unique history to every Nurburgring visitor as well as to the world's TV viewers."

Brawn GP

*Ross Brawn, Team Principal: "The team is looking forward to returning to the race track at the German Grand Prix next weekend and the Nurburgring should be a good circuit for our car and play to its strengths. We have several new aerodynamic parts from Silverstone which were not used in qualifying and the race due to the issues that we faced there, along with additional improvements scheduled for the Nurburgring, which should position us well going into the weekend. "Whilst coming away with third and sixth placed finishes from Silverstone was still a good outcome from our home Grand Prix, we would be the first to admit that the result did not meet our expectations. However we have always said that we would have a fight on our hands to maintain our excellent run of results at the start of the season and everyone at the factory and at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth is looking forward to that challenge. "As a team, we have a good history of going away from a race, thinking about the outcome, identifying where we need to make improvements and then coming back stronger. As the home Grand Prix for Mercedes-Benz, we will be hoping to come away from the race in Germany next weekend with a successful result." *Jenson Button: "The Nurburgring is a tricky circuit but there are two key characteristics which should be good for our car. It is a relatively slow circuit with a lot of medium-speed corners which are one of the strengths of the BGP 001. The Nurburgring 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. "With the extra week's break, everyone at the factory and at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines has been working extremely hard in preparation for the German Grand Prix to get the best package for the race and we're looking forward to showing what the car can do at the Nurburgring after a disappointing weekend by our standards at the British Grand Prix. "My last stint at Silverstone showed that the pace of the car is really competitive so we're confident that we can turn it around at this race. I'm sure we will see a really intense fight with our closest competitors and hopefully a great race for the fans." *Rubens Barrichello: "I have always enjoyed racing at the Nurburgring and it provides a good challenge for the drivers. The layout and flow is nice which allows you to get into a rhythm and there are some interesting undulations and bumps to look out for. I won the race here back in 2002 so the circuit always holds some good memories for me. The weather can be a little unpredictable due to its location right in the Eifel Mountains but we'll be hoping for some warmer temperatures than we saw at Silverstone for the last race. "The first corner here is really important to set yourself up for a good lap and it's a bumpy run down from the start line. You have to get your approach absolutely right and position yourself well for a good exit. However it is also one of the best overtaking opportunities if the cars around you slide straight on so you need to be alert to take advantage of any opportunities. "Many of the corners at the Nurburgring are off-camber so getting the correct line for your corner entry is important all round the lap. We haven't raced here for a couple of years so it will be interesting to see how the circuit feels in a good car." ROSS BRAWN RECEIVES AWARD FROM MIA Brawn GP is pleased to announce that Ross Brawn was last night presented with the Motorsport Industry Association’s (MIA) Award for the Most Outstanding Contribution to the Motorsport Industry. The Award was presented by The Right Honourable Lord Drayson, Minister of State for Innovation and Aston Martin Le Mans driver, at the MIA’s annual Summer Reception at the House of Lords. Ross joins a highly impressive list of previous winners, including Professor Sid Watkins, Lord March, Sir Frank Williams CBE, Sir Stirling Moss OBE and Sir Jackie Stewart OBE, as well as Tom Wheatcroft, David Richards CBE and Bernie Ecclestone amongst others. During his thirty-three year career in motorsport, after starting as a milling machine operator at March, Ross has gone forward to win a World Sportscar Championship with the TWR Jaguar XJR-14 and an amazing eight F1 Championships with Benetton and Ferrari. “His exceptional race engineering talent is coupled with integrity, sincerity and humility – a rare combination in this aggressive competitive sport. His personal contribution has benefited many in this global industry – employees, suppliers and drivers. His influence makes motorsport and F1 a better place to be” said the MIA’s CEO, Chris Aylett last night. Aylett continued: "Ross is a great inspiration to young engineers who we need to help us improve our future. As patron of Formula Student for example he is putting something back into tomorrow’s generation. F1 leaders can be great ambassadors for global motorsport - Ross is one of the new breed who will ensure its popularity will last well into the future.” MIA’s Summer Reception, hosted by MIA President Lord Astor of Hever, is regarded as the most prestigious social gathering on the international motorsport business calendar. The 2009 reception was attended by over 300 guests, including Peers, Ministers of State, Ambassadors, MPs, VIPs, MIA members and leaders from the motorsport industry across the globe.