Weather could be decider at Nurburgring

With McLaren closing in on the heels of Ferrari, they could find their path blocked by some unlikely adversaries at the Nurburgring this weekend. With weather traditionally being something of a wild card, the conditions give teams outside the top four a chance to shine, as shown by Johnny Herbert's victory for Stewart last year

May 18, 2000, 12:06 PM

The wet-dry conditions of last year produced no less than five different race leaders, including nine laps at the top for Williams' Ralf Schumacher before a puncture let Herbert through to take Stewart's maiden victory.

The forecast for the Eifel mountains region over the weekend is rain on Friday, clearing up slightly to give cloudy weather on Saturday and Sunday, so the possibility of a wet race is high. Temperatures are expected to rise on race day to approximately 16 deg C with a 17mph crosswind, which could also affect aerodynamics.

While Messers Coulthard, Hakkinen and Schumacher will be hoping conditions stay dry, those without a performance advantage would welcome some wet weather. Schumacher Jr will want to impress home crowds and believes the unpredictable conditions could be the key to success. He said: "At the Nurburgring there is always a chance of variable weather. I led a Grand Prix for the first time here last year and it would be nice to have some rain."