New-look Hockenheim will test teams
This weekend's German Grand Prix will be a small step into the unknown for the Formula 1 teams as Hockenheim has undergone major renovation work since last year's race
Rather than the long tree-lined straights followed by chicanes of the previous layout, the new track is more akin to the others on the modern day F1 calendar. That, according to Williams-BMW's chief operations engineer Sam Michael, means a totally different approach to the German GP weekend.
"The changes made to the Hockenheim circuit means the downforce and set-ups we will use are completely different to those used in the past," said Michael. "Likewise, it will change tyre selection and strategy. We will have very few changes to the cars because of the short amount of time between the two grands prix.
"The new circuit appears to be high downforce with a lot of slow speed corners, however, there are still two or three high speed corners and a long straight. Traction will be important because of a lot of accelerating from slow speed in low gears. We will have to do a lot of work during Friday practice to check brake performance, which is another unknown quantity on this new track," he added.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments