Haug backs Hockenheim work

"They have done a great job," Haug said. "They only started at the beginning of January and I think they will probably only be ready in time for first practice. Jean Alesi has driven a DTM car round and he was quite impressed.

"The layout has a hairpin, similar to the one at Magny-Cours, which should permit overtaking, and there is probably another overtaking possibility at the exit of the second corner after the Motordrom. It's certainly a completely different layout to what Hockenheim used to be, but I feel it will make a better race track. They will run 67 laps instead of 44, so the spectators get 50 percent more laps and we have a new grandstand with 6,500 seats. That's part of out concept at Hockenheim because we want to have a lot of customers and fans there.

"It should now make a great viewing track because you can see the cars for around 30 seconds and the lap time should be around 80 seconds. I think it's heading in a very positive direction. It's very much a high downforce track now, I would say, and it was the opposite in the past."

That, at least, should suit the McLaren-Mercedes package.