Lauda: New Nurburgring Layout to Improve Show

Jaguar team boss Niki Lauda says that the new layout of the Nurburgring circuit will help the spectators get a better view of the action at his weekend's European Grand Prix.

The German track has been revised for this year's event, with a new complex at the first corner. The circuit now has a new twisty 560-metre infield section which has increased the track's length from 4.556km to 5.144km, and Lauda says the spectators will benefit from the changes.

"When the new Nurburgring circuit was completed in the early 1980s, it was a modern safe track, but I always felt that the spectators were too far away," said Lauda, who nearly lost his life in an accident at the original circuit in 1976. "In other words, no matter how good the race was, the spectators struggled to feel part of the atmosphere.

"This is why the new circuit could never compete with the old Nord-Schleife. Now that the fans are much closer to the first corner, I am very happy for all concerned. The first corner is one of the best places to watch the race and now that the spectators are part of it again, they can start to recapture the passion that the Nord-Schleife offered."

The Nurburgring circuit has been criticised by some of the current drivers, who find the German track not challenging enough.

"It's not a very exciting track to drive, and the fans are too far away to add any visual excitement," said BAR's Jacques Villeneuve. "Most corners at the Nurburgring are slow, whereas I prefer a circuit with lots of mid-speed and high-speed turns."