German Grand Prix - Facts & Figures

By BMW WilliamsF1
July 16 2004

	Facts & Figures
	-• Hockenheim has a population of approximately 19,000 and lies on the Upper Rhine Plain in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. • On 29th May 1932, Hockenheim hosted its inaugural motorcycle race on the unsurfaced, triangular circuit. In 1938, the circuit was re-designed to create the oval-shaped Palatinate Ring. 1957 saw further modifications when the Motodrom was built. • Hockenheim hosted its first Formula One Grand Prix on 2nd August 1970, which Jochen Rindt won. In 1977, the German Grand Prix moved to Baden indefinitely, only returning to the Nürburgring once in 1985. • In 2002, Hockenheim celebrated its 70th anniversary with a new design and a new name, the “Hockenheimring Baden Württemberg.” The long forest straights were replaced with new sections in order to accommodate increasing spectator numbers. Where cars previously disappeared into the woods, the circuit now takes a sharp right turn (the second corner after the start / finish) into the long, sweeping, high-speed Parabolica left turn. This culminates in a hairpin taken in first gear with the steering wheel virtually at full lock. Following this hairpin, a right-left-right combination takes you back to familiar territory, the Motodrom “stadium” section. • To date, WilliamsF1 have claimed nine victories at Hockenheim. Alan Jones scored the first in 1979, while Juan Pablo Montoya secured the latest last year in the WilliamsF1 BMW FW25. • Juan Pablo Montoya claimed last year’s victory with a 65 second lead over David Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) and Jarno Trulli (Renault). Team mate, Ralf Schumacher, was forced to retire on lap one following an incident with McLaren’s Raikkonen and Ferrari’s Barrichello. • Montoya currently holds the lap record (1:14.917m) which he set during last year’s race. • The front row of the 2003 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim was firmly locked out by the BMW WilliamsF1 Team. Montoya took pole position with a 1:15.167m while Ralf Schumacher was less than two hundreds of a second slower (1:15.185m), securing second position. • The Hockenheimring measures 4.574 kilometres, the 67 lap race will therefore cover a distance of 306.458 kilometres. • The German Grand Prix will be the twelfth round of the 2004 FIA Formula One World Championship and will start at 14:00hrs, local time, on Sunday 25th July.