An in depth analysis of the Hockenheim circuit for the German Grand Prix
The overalls are all set and drivers are ready to face the heat of the upcoming German Grand Prix, at Hockenheim, scheduled for July 22, 2012.
Performance of Red Bull Racing is awaited as they are leading the championship with 216 points in the ongoing season.
German GP is planned to have 67 laps with a race distance of about 306.458 km (190.424 miles). The race is held at Hockenheim after 2010 as last year it was hosted by Nurburgring.
The asphalt track consists of 17 turns with a flat surface; however, the circuit has also witnessed some fatal accidents in GP2. The turns are a mixture of some fast and slow speed corners ranging between 295 km/h to 59 km/h, while the straights are long
making it a complex circuit. The race will be held in clockwise direction.
The track is familiar to most of the drivers therefore they are pretty comfortable with the track and are expecting a good race at Hockenheim.
Fastest lap on Hockenheim was completed by the Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen in 2004 as he set a time of 1 minute and 13.780 seconds, who currently has 144 points, in the ongoing season.
However, Raikkonen left Formula 1 in 2009 due to some issues and joined rallying. This year he is racing for Team Lotus and will be looking to improve his otherwise poor record at the Hockenheim circuit.
Weather conditions at Hockenheim are forecasted to be warm as the mercury will range from 20-22 degree Celsius for the race weekend. It will be slightly cloudy and there is no forecast of rain. The teams will be having an option of using hard compound tyres
offered by Pirelli during the practice session; whereas medium and soft compound tyres will be used for the race.
Considering mild weather conditions, a two pit stop strategy is expected, as tyres will not be affected much as compared to British Grand Prix, where the temperature was high. But in 2010 when the last race was hosted here drivers mostly took only 1 pit
stop but that was due to the Bridgestone tyres which did not degrade as much as the Pirellis do.
Defending champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing took the 2010 pole at Hockenheim but only managed to finish 3rd during the race. He will be eager to take a win in front of his home crowd. He says that he enjoys racing at Hockenheim as he has a lot
of fans in that area.
Lewis Hamilton of McLaren is excited about the German GP 2012 as it will be his 100th Grand Prix in Formula 1 racing. He likes the new updated Hockenheim circuit as compared to the old track which ran through the forests.
The situation at German GP explains very well that it will be a close race among the drivers as the drivers are familiar with the track and they are comfortable in driving there.
Many teams have installed new upgrades to their cars for the upcoming round of Formula 1 which means that the race is going to be a thrilling one starting with the first practice session tomorrow, Friday, July 20, 2012.
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