Any German Grand Prix is a highlight but a German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring is extra special. The names written on the wall as you walk into the circuit stretch back to Nuvolari and Caracciola, and while the new track might be a shadow of the old, the racing there can show that there’s no substitute for talent. The first half of the 2011 grand prix was one of those: evenly matched cars; a slippery surface and a vociferous crowd demanding action. This is what Formula One is all about
The fact that almost a quarter of the drivers were German also played to the crowd abut it was almost impossible to find anyone in the paddock as most had sneaked off for a few laps of the Nordschleife (the old 23km circuit through the hills).
Check out our Six of the Best; Nürburgring classics.
But, would they fancy racing on it in a modern F1 car?
“I have driven the track in a modern F1 car and I can say it is definitely too dangerous to go there again. Maybe instead of spending all this money here on the buildings they could have spent it on making the old Nordschleife safer. That probably would have been a good idea. It definitely was a tremendous experience.”
Nick Heidfeld – Renault
Watch Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Nick Heidfeld, Vitaly Petrov, Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen taking on the Nordschelife. The fun starts at 3.00 minutes…
“The only thing my mechanics did yesterday was look on the on-board camera of Nick going around the Nordschleife and wanting to take the rental car there. I think that shows just how great the track is.”
Timo Glock – Virgin
“I think it’s a great circuit but far too bumpy for a Formula One car.”
Adrian Sutil – Force India.
“I had some experience with a Formula One car there today. It worked out fine for me – but it was Fangio’s W196 from 1954.”
Michael Schumacher – Mercedes
“We had an experience yesterday with Renault and it is just so much fun, and after you just want more and more so it is really addictive. I think it would be great if Formula One could race on a circuit like that again, but I think our cars are not really made for that.”
Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull Racing
“The most interesting experience would probably be taking off from one of those jumps with our current F1 car. I am sure that would be quite exciting...”
Nico Rosberg – Mercedes
Schumacher and Rosberg step back in time on the Nordschleife © Mercedes Motorsport
Mark Webber had his first pole position on this track in 2009 and his ninth on Saturday afternoon, which was also his second in a row and third for 2011. A surprised and delighted Lewis Hamilton was second, with Vettel third with Fernando Alonso fourth.
“It was a good session, I think pretty good for you guys to watch as well: tight between all of us. We had a red car, couple of Red Bulls, silver car, all of us pushing to the limit so a very tight session. We had to be incredibly accurate and spot on and in the end.”
Mark Webber – Red Bull Racing
“We really, honestly, never thought we would be anywhere near this place!”
Lewis Hamilton – McLaren
“I think I had two solid runs, maybe lost out a little bit in the last sector on my last attempt but all in all I think Mark was very quick. He did a very good lap today.”
Sebastian Vettel
Pole man Mark Webber faces the press © Getty Images
Rain was falling for the start of the race, but not wet enough for intermediate tyres, which made things a little ticklish. Mark has his trademark dreadful start, and is passed by Hamilton into the first corner. Alonso passes Vettel for third.
“We have been working really hard on our starts and I think I got good temperature in my tyres, good temperature in my brakes, and as we pulled away it felt just fantastic. It was probably one of the best starts we have had all season.”
Lewis Hamilton
“Lewis had a phenomenal start. Better than ours. Then we got into the first part of the grand prix. It is always difficult to keep the pressure on the guy in front but I could do it with Lewis in the first stint. But we know with these tyres that the consumption on them is pretty high.”
Mark Webber
Webber and Alonso wheel to wheel at the 2011 German GP © Getty Images
The first few laps are action packed. Alonso and Vettel swap places several times, before Vettel puts a wheel on the white line and has a spin, which means he loses touch with the front three. Webber noses ahead but Hamilton has enough grunt in his Mercedes to take the place back.
“He got past me but fortunately I was in a position to get past him again into turn one. We had a good battle all the way I think down to turn three. Mark was very fair. That is the kind of racing I love.”
Lewis Hamilton
“I overtook [Sebastian] at the start, then he overtook me on lap two into Turn Three. I was on a wet kerb and then I overtook him again on the main straight. It was good. As we said, there is nothing we lose when we attack the Red Bulls at the moment. They have a very comfortable advantage, so every time we can, we will try to overtake them.”
Fernando Alonso
– Ferrari
“It was tough, a difficult race. In the beginning, it didn’t feel so bad but I made a mistake, which bought me back to fifth and from there it was a tough recovery.”
Sebastian Vettel
Lap 14 and Webber is the first of the leaders to pit. He’s followed by Hamilton and Alonso two laps later, but Webber has done enough to regain the lead. Hamilton slots into second just ahead of Alonso. When it all shakes out, Vettel has been passed by Massa for fourth.
“I led the race!”
Mark Webber (bizarrely in P1 for the first time this season)
Mark Webber leads the 2011 German GP from Hamilton and Alonso © Getty Images
The second stops see Webber in on Lap 30, Hamilton on 31 and Alonso on 32. There is nothing to separate them, Alonso leads for an instant but Hamilton takes the place with a brave move, while Webber is inches behind in third.
“This was a great race in the sense that there was Mark, me and Fernando all within a tenth of each other, lap after lap after lap and it was about real perfection and it was about really not making mistakes. It was awesome and I think both of these guys drove exceptionally well. I think today I was in a really very good headspace and perhaps I feel even better because I felt the moves I did were some of the most precise moves I have pulled in a while. Being able to drive with your head all the time and get it right, just right, is massively satisfying.”
Lewis Hamilton
“Today Hamilton was quicker, so well done to him Even though I came out ahead of him at the second pitstop, I had absolutely no grip and he managed to get around the outside.”
Fernando Alonso
The final stops all occur in the last 10 laps, Mark stays out longer than Hamilton and Alonso, attempting to gain a benefit from running longer on the soft tyres, but nothing changes.
“Overall: mixed emotions. I don’t think I could have got much more. I think I drove to the limit of the car. All of us did. Lewis deserved the win. Fernando, all of us, were pushing hard for the majority of the grand prix and it comes down to the team-work in the pit-stops and everything together… Hats off to the opposition.”
Mark Webber
Meanwhile Vettel is still following Massa and both have a mandatory pitstop to make. They leave it to the last lap and go in nose-to-tail. Vettel is behind, but emerges in front to steal fourth at the death.
“Sure, I would have liked to have stayed ahead of the World Champion right to the end, but at the final pit stop there was a problem with the wheel nut on the left rear which cost me a few seconds: these things happen.”
Felipe Massa – Ferrari
“As I came out it was nice to see the Ferrari still stationary – that was all down to the boys, they did a very good job. Both Felipe and I were battling for a lot of the race and we were both on the edge. I think fourth was the maximum we could achieve today – it’s not satisfying, but you have to accept that others were quicker today.”
Sebastian Vettel
Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning the 2011 German GP © McLaren
…and then seconds later Hamilton took the chequered flag.
“Disappointed not to win of course, but we will keep pushing for Budapest. We know we have to improve the car on Sundays. It’s an area that has been brewing the last few races and it is something that we need to try to address soon.”
Mark Webber
“It’s not by chance that Fernando has scored more points in the last three races than any other driver and the team has done best in the last two. It means we are pushing as hard as possible and we believe in what we are doing.”
Stefano Domenicali – team principal, Ferrari
“We are constantly first or second in the last three races, with three different type of circuits: Silverstone a very high-speed circuit; Valencia heavy braking and Nürburgring a slow-speed corners. Different kind of temperatures too: Valencia hot, here, nearly winter. So with all these conditions we saw our consistency and it puts us in a very good position to enjoy this final part of the championship.”
Fernando Alonso
“We are back in the fight.”
Lewis Hamilton
© Getty Images for Red Bull Racing
So four different winners in the last four races; another ‘bad’ weekend for Red Bull sees the team extend their lead in the Constructors’ Championship, nevertheless their early season dominance seems to have evaporated as Ferrari and McLaren close the gap. Word around the paddock is that the Hungaroring is a Red Bull track – but they thought the same about the Nürburgring. We’ll find out in a few days’ time.
Want more?
- Hard choice for Hamilton at the German Grand Prix
- Keep up with Red Bull Racing
- More on the German Grand Prix
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