Technical Review: Europe 2005

A mere five days after the end of the Monaco GP all ten Formula One teams once more started practicing at the Nurburgring in Germany for the European Grand Prix. This back to back race was eased by the short overnight drive between circuits and the high downforce demands of the Nurburgring, but the short gap allowed teams to merely rebuild the car and complete a brief shake down. No major tests occurred and no major development appeared on any cars.

As a circuit the Nurburgring has quite complex demands - it is effectively a track on the low speed end of the scale, where slow and medium speed corners abound, with a single fast section and two short straights. The chicanes take a toll on brakes, and the tight turn-ins on the smooth surface invite understeer; as a result the Monaco set ups used the previous weekend were back in use. The large wings aid grip, but still the slow speed corners demand mechanical grip, so a softer set up is used.