Hockenheimring Layout & Records

Description

Hockenheim History

Old Hockenheimring layout (before 2002)

Hockenheim is a prime example of how Formula One has changed.  The legendary German circuit is a shadow of its former self after its re-design in 2002 that stripped away its soul and left a comparatively lifeless shell.

The new circuit, which alternates with the Nurburgring to stage the German Grand Prix, is an average circuit. There is nothing wrong with it, just like there is nothing overly wrong with Bahrain, China and USA. But Hockenheim was a circuit that used to be feared, loved, respected and enjoyed. Like Belgium it was a gem. But like Austria the stone has been scuffed.

Traditionally, Formula One in Germany has been dominated by one circuit, the infamous Nurburgring. But when drivers boycotted the race in 1970 in a demand to improve safety, they were sent to Hockenheim, a circuit in the forests of south-west Germany. The track was already famous, as it was the place where legendary driver Jim Clark died in a Formula 2 race.

The circuit was fast. Three long straights formed a circular shape in the forest and met in a small technical section at the end of the lap, known as the Grandstand section as it was the main place for spectators. Chicanes were added over time for safety purposes, but Hockenheim remained one of the great challenges of motor sport. Some drivers loved it, some didn’t but it was a welcomes fixture on any calendar.

As the Nurburgring stunted over their track changes, Hockenheim took control and hosted the German Grand Prix from 1977-2006. Once the Nurburgring had done as it was told it was given a lesser role. It hosted the European Grand Prix and Luxembourg Grand Prix in patches until its regular return in 2007.

As time progressed and Formula One was lifted into an era of money and entertainment, it became apparent that Hockenheim didn’t quite fit the bill. Spectators couldn’t venture too far into the forest, meaning much of the action and overtaking was missed. And safety concerns continued to be raised.  Despite this, Hockenheim played host to some classic races including the 2000 Grand Prix, won by Rubens Barrichello. In the wet conditions he went from 18^th to 1^st, with some outstanding driving and a lot of luck.

Here you can see an onboard from Mika Hakkinen who goes around the old Hockenheimring in the McLaren of 1998.

But after the race in 2001, Bernie Ecclestone decided the track needed to change. He hired renowned track designer Hermann Tilker to re-design Hockenheim. Tilker designed a track that is unrecognisable. Only the grandstand section remains. The long straights in the forest were dismantled, guaranteeing that no cars can ever go racing along them again. The track he created was decent. There are overtaking opportunities, fast straights and technical sections. Grandstands litter the track, giving viewers a better experience.

It is now a modern Formula One track and it fits right in. Races are interesting, more so than other circuits that have already been mentioned. But were all those changes entirely necessary? Surely there was a way that F1 could incorporate the old to fit the new? Sadly they didn’t and the old Hockenheim is gone. There has been much criticism for their decision despite the fine racing seen at the new, shorter track.

In 2006, it was decided that the circuit would alternate with the Nurburgring. Today, there are rumours we may not see Hockenheim at all. From once being one of the jewels in the crown, to now fighting for its F1 life, Hockenheim has gone through it all. Let’s hope it can stay for a while longer and give us all a chance to fall in love with the new design, even if it’s not as great as the old.

Podiums

F1 Podium Winners on Hockenheim Circuit

Year	Race	Date	Top 3 Drivers	Teams	Laps
2019	2019 German F1 GP	July 28	Max Verstappen Sebastian Vettel Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull Ferrari Toro Rosso	64
2018	2018 German F1 GP	July 22	Lewis Hamilton Valtteri Bottas Kimi Räikkönen	Mercedes Mercedes Ferrari	67
2016	2016 German F1 GP	July 31	Lewis Hamilton Daniel Ricciardo Max Verstappen	Mercedes Red Bull Red Bull	67
2014	2014 German F1 GP	July 20	Nico Rosberg Valtteri Bottas Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes Williams Mercedes	67
2012	2012 German F1 GP	July 22	Fernando Alonso Jenson Button Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari McLaren Lotus F1	67
2010	2010 German F1 GP	July 25	Fernando Alonso Felipe Massa Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari Ferrari Red Bull	67
2008	2008 German F1 GP	July 20	Lewis Hamilton Nelson Piquet Jr. Felipe Massa	McLaren Renault Ferrari	67
2006	2006 German F1 GP	July 30	Michael Schumacher Felipe Massa Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari Ferrari McLaren	67
2005	2005 German F1 GP	July 24	Fernando Alonso Juan Pablo Montoya Jenson Button	Renault McLaren BAR	67
2004	2004 German F1 GP	July 25	Michael Schumacher Jenson Button Fernando Alonso	Ferrari BAR Renault	66
2003	2003 German F1 GP	August 3	Juan Pablo Montoya David Coulthard Jarno Trulli	Williams McLaren Renault	67
2002	2002 German F1 GP	July 28	Michael Schumacher Juan Pablo Montoya Ralf Schumacher	Ferrari Williams Williams	67
2001	2001 German F1 GP	July 29	Ralf Schumacher Rubens Barrichello Jacques Villeneuve	Williams Ferrari BAR	45
2000	2000 German F1 GP	July 30	Rubens Barrichello Mika Häkkinen David Coulthard	Ferrari McLaren McLaren	45
1999	1999 German F1 GP	August 1	Eddie Irvine Mika Salo Heinz-Harald Frentzen	Ferrari Ferrari Jordan	45
1998	1998 German F1 GP	August 2	Mika Häkkinen David Coulthard Jacques Villeneuve	McLaren McLaren Williams	45
1997	1997 German F1 GP	July 27	Gerhard Berger Michael Schumacher Mika Häkkinen	Benetton Ferrari McLaren	45
1996	1996 German F1 GP	July 28	Damon Hill Jean Alesi Jacques Villeneuve	Williams Benetton Williams	45
1995	1995 German F1 GP	July 30	Michael Schumacher David Coulthard Gerhard Berger	Benetton Williams Ferrari	45
1994	1994 German F1 GP	July 31	Gerhard Berger Olivier Panis Éric Bernard	Ferrari Ligier Ligier	45
1993	1993 German F1 GP	July 25	Alain Prost Michael Schumacher Mark Blundell	Williams Benetton Ligier	45
1992	1992 German F1 GP	July 26	Nigel Mansell Ayrton Senna Michael Schumacher	Williams McLaren Benetton	45
1991	1991 German F1 GP	July 28	Nigel Mansell Riccardo Patrese Jean Alesi	Williams Williams Ferrari	45
1990	1990 German F1 GP	July 29	Ayrton Senna Alessandro Nannini Gerhard Berger	McLaren Benetton McLaren	45
1989	1989 German F1 GP	July 30	Ayrton Senna Alain Prost Nigel Mansell	McLaren McLaren Ferrari	45
1988	1988 German F1 GP	July 24	Ayrton Senna Alain Prost Gerhard Berger	McLaren McLaren Ferrari	44
1987	1987 German F1 GP	July 26	Nelson Piquet Stefan Johansson Ayrton Senna	Williams McLaren Team Lotus	44
1986	1986 German F1 GP	July 27	Nelson Piquet Ayrton Senna Nigel Mansell	Williams Team Lotus Williams	44
1984	1984 German F1 GP	August 5	Alain Prost Niki Lauda Derek Warwick	McLaren McLaren Renault	44
1983	1983 German F1 GP	August 7	René Arnoux Andrea de Cesaris Riccardo Patrese	Ferrari Alfa Romeo Brabham	45
1982	1982 German F1 GP	August 8	Patrick Tambay René Arnoux Keke Rosberg	Ferrari Renault Williams	45
1981	1981 German F1 GP	August 2	Nelson Piquet Alain Prost Jacques Laffite	Brabham Renault Ligier	45
1980	1980 German F1 GP	August 10	Jacques Laffite Carlos Reutemann Alan Jones	Ligier Williams Williams	45
1979	1979 German F1 GP	July 29	Alan Jones Clay Regazzoni Jacques Laffite	Williams Williams Ligier	45
1978	1978 German F1 GP	July 30	Mario Andretti Jody Scheckter Jacques Laffite	Team Lotus Wolf Ligier	45
1977	1977 German F1 GP	July 31	Niki Lauda Jody Scheckter Hans Joachim Stuck	Ferrari Wolf Brabham	47
1970	1970 German F1 GP	August 2	Jochen Rindt Jacky Ickx Denny Hulme	Team Lotus Ferrari McLaren	50

Driver Ranking

Driver Ranking Hockenheim Circuit

	Driver	GP	1st	2nd	3rd	Pod	Pole	FL	Avg Grid	Avg Pos	Points
1	Michael Schumacher	16	4	2	1	7	2	5	4.2	5.9	75
2	Ayrton Senna	9	3	2	1	6	3	1	2.9	5.1	46
3	Lewis Hamilton	7	3	0	1	4	2	2	7.3	6.1	89
4	Fernando Alonso	11	3	0	1	4	1	0	7.6	6.3	85
5	Nelson Piquet	13	3	0	0	3	0	1	6.7	11.0	32
6	Alain Prost	12	2	3	0	5	3	1	3.4	6.1	44
7	Gerhard Berger	12	2	0	3	5	2	2	3.9	8.5	36
8	Nigel Mansell	11	2	0	2	4	3	1	8.5	11.1	31
9	Juan Pablo Montoya	5	1	2	0	3	2	2	5.6	4.8	28
10	Mika Häkkinen	10	1	1	1	3	2	0	6.7	12.6	20
11	Rubens Barrichello	16	1	1	0	2	0	1	9.8	12.8	20
12	René Arnoux	10	1	1	0	2	0	1	9.0	11.8	19
13	Niki Lauda	5	1	1	0	2	0	1	7.6	10.6	15
14	Jacques Laffite	8	1	0	3	4	0	0	8.8	8.4	22
15	Max Verstappen	3	1	0	1	2	0	1	3.3	2.7	53
16	Ralf Schumacher	9	1	0	1	2	0	0	6.9	6.3	23
17	Alan Jones	6	1	0	1	2	1	2	8.2	10.3	13
18	Nico Rosberg	6	1	0	0	1	2	0	9.8	8.8	42
19	Damon Hill	7	1	0	0	1	2	1	4.7	10.7	13
20	Patrick Tambay	8	1	0	0	1	1	0	8.9	11.8	12
21	Eddie Irvine	9	1	0	0	1	0	0	9.1	12.6	10
22	Jochen Rindt	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	2.0	1.0	9
23	Mario Andretti	6	1	0	0	1	1	0	8.2	10.5	9
24	David Coulthard	14	0	3	1	4	1	3	6.4	7.4	37
25	Jenson Button	12	0	2	1	3	0	0	10.9	6.9	61
26	Felipe Massa	9	0	2	1	3	0	0	8.6	10.1	33
27	Valtteri Bottas	4	0	2	0	2	0	0	3.8	7.0	38
28	Jody Scheckter	4	0	2	0	2	1	0	7.8	5.3	15
29	Sebastian Vettel	7	0	1	1	2	2	1	6.4	6.4	66
30	Riccardo Patrese	16	0	1	1	2	0	2	10.0	11.6	17
31	Jean Alesi	13	0	1	1	2	0	0	9.8	9.3	14
32	Daniel Ricciardo	5	0	1	0	1	0	1	10.2	12.0	26
33	Olivier Panis	9	0	1	0	1	0	0	10.6	9.7	11
34	Carlos Reutemann	5	0	1	0	1	0	0	8.0	13.2	9
35	Nelson Piquet Jr.	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	17.0	2.0	8
36	Mika Salo	7	0	1	0	1	0	0	14.6	10.7	8
37	Andrea de Cesaris	12	0	1	0	1	0	0	13.4	15.1	8
38	Clay Regazzoni	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	4.5	7.0	6
39	Jacky Ickx	2	0	1	0	1	1	1	7.5	9.5	6
40	Stefan Johansson	5	0	1	0	1	0	0	16.4	13.0	6
41	Alessandro Nannini	5	0	1	0	1	0	1	12.0	14.8	6
42	Kimi Räikkönen	12	0	0	3	3	2	2	4.5	10.9	47
43	Jacques Villeneuve	10	0	0	3	3	0	0	10.2	10.7	12
44	Daniil Kvyat	3	0	0	1	1	0	0	13.7	12.7	15
45	Jarno Trulli	12	0	0	1	1	0	0	9.8	11.3	11
46	Keke Rosberg	7	0	0	1	1	1	0	12.1	12.3	6
47	Derek Warwick	9	0	0	1	1	0	0	12.8	10.2	5
48	Denny Hulme	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	16.0	3.0	4
49	Éric Bernard	3	0	0	1	1	0	0	17.0	13.7	4
50	Hans Joachim Stuck	3	0	0	1	1	0	0	17.3	16.7	4
51	Mark Blundell	4	0	0	1	1	0	0	10.3	12.0	4
52	Heinz-Harald Frentzen	9	0	0	1	1	0	0	10.7	13.3	4
53	Nico Hülkenberg	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	7.7	9.5	24
54	Sergio Pérez	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	10.8	10.6	16
55	Mark Webber	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	10.0	12.6	15
56	Romain Grosjean	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	12.2	13.0	14
57	Lance Stroll	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	16.0	10.5	12
58	Kamui Kobayashi	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	14.3	10.3	12
59	Giancarlo Fisichella	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	9.3	11.0	11
60	Carlos Sainz	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	9.3	10.3	10
61	Robert Kubica	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	10.7	8.0	9
62	Alex Albon	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	16.0	6.0	8
63	Emerson Fittipaldi	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	14.3	13.0	6
64	Kevin Magnussen	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	9.5	11.0	6
65	Nick Heidfeld	8	0	0	0	0	0	1	12.1	12.4	6
66	Michele Alboreto	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	14.5	17.5	6
67	John Watson	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	11.6	10.4	5
68	Esteban Ocon	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	15.0	8.0	4
69	Heikki Kovalainen	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	13.0	14.7	4
70	Bruno Giacomelli	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	14.3	11.0	4
71	Hector Rebaque	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	19.4	14.0	4
72	Christian Fittipaldi	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	18.5	7.5	3
73	Cristiano da Matta	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	12.0	12.5	3
74	Philippe Streiff	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	18.7	16.0	3
75	Martin Brundle	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	12.4	9.6	3
76	Johnny Herbert	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	12.6	15.0	3
77	Antônio Pizzonia	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	10.0	7.0	2
78	Jean-Christophe Boullion	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	14.0	5.0	2
79	Rolf Stommelen	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	17.0	8.5	2
80	Vittorio Brambilla	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	15.0	11.0	2
81	Marcus Ericsson	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	19.0	15.0	2
82	Gianni Morbidelli	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	20.3	13.3	2
83	Érik Comas	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	17.8	14.3	2
84	Didier Pironi	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	9.0	14.8	2
85	Jonathan Palmer	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	21.4	13.8	2
86	Ivan Capelli	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	14.5	14.3	2
87	Eddie Cheever	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	15.9	14.8	2
88	Thierry Boutsen	10	0	0	0	0	0	1	12.6	12.7	2
89	Brendon Hartley	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	16.0	10.0	1
90	Henri Pescarolo	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5.0	6.0	1
91	Bertrand Gachot	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	18.0	10.0	1
92	Vitaly Petrov	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	15.5	13.0	1
93	Christian Klien	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	11.3	9.0	1
94	Gilles Villeneuve	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	12.0	8.0	1
95	Takuma Sato	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	11.3	10.5	1
96	Jochen Mass	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	17.5	12.8	1
97	Aguri Suzuki	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	14.8	17.8	1
98	Marc Surer	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	19.0	13.0	1
99	Philippe Alliot	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	19.9	19.0	1
100	Pedro de la Rosa	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	14.3	16.3	1

Team Ranking

Team Ranking Hockenheim Circuit

	Team	GP	1st	2nd	3rd	Pod	Pole	FL	Avg Grid	Avg Pos	Points
1	Ferrari	37	11	7	6	24	7	7	6.4	8.6	304
2	Williams	35	9	6	6	21	9	10	7.3	9.9	181
3	McLaren	37	6	10	5	21	11	6	7.4	9.4	225
4	Mercedes	6	3	1	1	5	3	3	7.4	5.8	135
5	Benetton	16	2	3	1	6	1	5	7.8	10.3	57
6	Team Lotus	18	2	1	1	4	1	1	12.1	14.3	37
7	Renault	17	1	3	3	7	2	0	6.8	10.5	85
8	Ligier	19	1	1	5	7	0	0	13.0	11.8	40
9	Red Bull	9	1	1	2	4	1	3	6.8	7.9	131
10	Brabham	15	1	0	2	3	0	1	9.8	13.4	25
11	Wolf	3	0	2	0	2	1	0	10.3	7.3	12
12	BAR	7	0	1	2	3	0	0	11.1	10.1	20
13	Alfa Romeo	6	0	1	0	1	0	0	11.9	11.5	10
14	Toro Rosso	8	0	0	1	1	0	0	14.7	12.7	25
15	Lotus F1	2	0	0	1	1	0	0	13.0	13.5	15
16	Jordan	15	0	0	1	1	0	0	11.4	12.2	14
17	Sauber	17	0	0	0	0	0	0	14.3	13.1	28
18	Force India	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	12.7	11.1	26
19	Haas	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	9.2	9.3	18
20	Racing Point	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	11.5	12.0	12
21	Toyota	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	11.7	11.3	12
22	Tyrrell	21	0	0	0	0	0	0	16.1	13.5	12
23	BMW Sauber	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	12.2	11.3	7
24	Honda	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	10.5	13.8	5
25	Prost	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	13.7	11.5	5
26	Footwork	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	15.4	15.6	5
27	Arrows	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	17.2	13.2	4
28	Jaguar	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	12.4	14.5	3
29	Fittipaldi	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	15.4	16.4	3
30	Surtees	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	16.0	9.5	2
31	Larrousse	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	19.4	16.1	2
32	March	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	14.8	13.6	2
33	Matra	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	13.0	13.0	1
34	Ensign	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	19.5	11.8	1
35	Forti	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	21.5	17.5	0
36	Hesketh	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	23.5	14.5	0
37	Midland	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	19.5	21.5	0
38	Virgin Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	23.5	19.5	0
39	Simtek	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	25.5	9.5	0
40	Lambo	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	24.0	26.0	0
41	Super Aguri	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	19.5	16.5	0
42	Penske	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	12.0	22.0	0
43	Andrea Moda	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	32.0	0
44	BRM	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	13.0	17.5	0
45	HRT	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	22.3	21.3	0
46	Leyton House	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	13.0	15.5	0
47	Fondmetal	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	19.0	17.0	0
48	Pacific	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	23.5	10.5	0
49	Spirit	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	18.5	15.0	0
50	Rial	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	7.0	21.5	0
51	RAM	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	23.5	21.5	0
52	Onyx	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	25.0	17.0	0
53	Stewart	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	13.7	16.2	0
54	Lola	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	21.7	17.3	0
55	Manor	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	19.7	18.5	0
56	Theodore	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	22.7	17.0	0
57	Euro Brun	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	25.5	20.0	0
58	Shadow	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	19.6	15.4	0
59	Caterham	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	18.7	18.7	0
60	Zakspeed	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	20.7	13.0	0
61	Toleman	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	10.5	18.5	0
62	Dallara	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	20.0	14.8	0
63	AGS	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	20.5	20.5	0
64	ATS	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	19.6	18.4	0
65	Osella	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	22.0	17.6	0
66	Minardi	20	0	0	0	0	0	0	19.4	15.9	0