Classic Hockenheim: Remembering The Spectacular Final Years

A nation with a rich racing history, Germany has two circuits that immediately come to mind for most when talking about motorsport in the country. The first is the Nürburgring, of course, which is simply iconic thanks to the Nordschleife. The other is the Hockenheimring.

Located not even three hours southeast of the Green Hell, the track first hosted an F1 Grand Prix in 1970, then took over as the venue from 1977 onwards. With the exceptions of 1985 (Nürburgring) and 2007 (not held), the track hosted the German GP until 2008, then started alternating with the Nürburgring until 2013. Four more GPs followed from 2014 until 2019. Since then, there has not been a German Grand Prix on the F1 calendar.

In the 1990s, this was unthinkable. Formula One was extremely popular due to the rise of Michael Schumacher – so much so that a second race in Germany took place at the Nürburgring starting in 1995, dubbed either the Luxembourg or European Grand Prix.

And while F1’s history at the Nürburgring is unparalleled, the German Grand Prix was still a highlight each year in the 90s. The stadium section of the track was filled to the brim with fans, in the later years of the decade often split between Schumacher and McLaren-Mercedes fans.

The Hockenheimring’s final long layout as used until 2001. Image: racingcircuits.info

The track was not just unique because of its stadium section (called ‘Motodrom’). Originally a triangle-shaped course that first came to be in the 1930s, Hockenheim was shortened in 1938, creating the Ostkurve in the eastern part of the track, and then again in 1966 in the western part. Construction of the Autobahn 6 forced the track to be rerouted, creating the Motodrom which is still used today.

Outside of the Motodrom, which includes the pits and start/finish straight, the Hockenheimring was mostly a flat-out blast through the forest, with drivers only braking for the Ostkurve. Even for 1960s standards, this proved extremely dangerous, as the death of Jim Clark in 1968 showed. The Lotus star was racing in an F2 race and crashed into the trees on the first forest straight. Roughly at the scene of the accident, a chicane was installed, and another one was added on the run to the Motodrom.

A third chicane followed in 1981 after Patrick Depailler died in a crash at the Ostkurve – the ground effect cars of the time meant that cornering speeds had gone through the roof at the turn. Essentially, this configuration stayed intact until 2001, except for reconfigurations of the chicanes, the final time in 1994.

This 6.825-kilometer layout was a unique challenge. For most of the track, as little downforce (and therefore drag) as possible was preferable, but that meant the Motodrom would be a big challenge. Additionally, the cars had to endure mechanical torture due to the heavy braking zones and long flat-out sequences.

Gerhard Berger took both Benetton’s first and last-ever wins, the latter coming under difficult circumstances at Hockenheim in 1997.

1997: Berger & Benetton Come Full Circle​

Nonetheless (or maybe because of this), the track produced highly entertaining races in its final years using this configuration. In 1997, Giancarlo Fisichella looked like he had an upset win in his grasp as he stayed with Benetton’s Gerhard Berger all race until blowing a tire. The Italian, running his first full F1 campaing, famously hitched a ride on Schumacher’s Ferrari after the race, the German having finished second behind Berger.

This would prove to be the Austrian’s final F1 victory, which was also true for Benetton – the story came full circle, as Berger also claimed his and Benetton’s first wins at the 1986 Mexican Grand Prix. To add even more to the victory, it was Berger’s first contest after sitting out three races due to sinusitis – and just before the race, his father had died.

The victory made Berger the fifth winner in ten races up to that point of the 1997 season. Meanwhile, Schumacher’s second place saw him extend his Drivers Championship lead over Jacques Villeneuve to ten points after the Canadian failed to finish the race due to a spin.

Mika Salo’s sky blue helmet was an unusual sight in the Ferrari – but it could have been an image associated with victory in the 1999 German Grand Prix had team orders not prevented him from winning.

1999: Team Player Salo Subs For Schumacher​

After a relatively tame 1998 edition of the German Grand Prix including a dominant 1-2 for McLaren’s Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard, 1999 would prove to be another classic. Local hero Schumacher would miss the race after breaking his leg at Silverstone earlier that season, but that did not mean that the countless fans were not in for an entertaining race.

All German hopes were on Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who looked set to mount a serious championship charge in his Jordan. Meanwhile, Eddie Irvine had taken over as Ferrari’s team leader during Schumacher’s absence, with Mika Salo filling in for “The Michael”. And it was at Hockenheim where the Finn would drive the race of his life.

While Häkkinen crashed out spectacularly entering the Motodrom after a tire failure, Salo led the race and would have won his first Grand Prix – team orders meant that he had to move over for Irvine, however. Looking back at the race, Salo told formula 1.com in 2018:

“People say it must have been frustrating for me, but I didn’t think of it that way at that time. I just thought that’s my job, so it’s okay. It’s a team sport.”

In the end, Irvine’s title challenge fell short. Salo continued: “After the season, when Eddie didn’t win the championship, then of course I was a little bit sad because I could have kept that win at Hockenheim, after all!”

‘Rubinho’ mastered challenging conditions on slicks to take his first victory at the 2000 German Grand Prix.

2000: Barrichello’s Masterclass On Slicks​

It would only be a year later that the non-Schumacher Ferrari would be on top, however. The local hero was out on the spot as he clashed with Fisichella going into the Nordkurve (the very first turn) right after the start, so Ferrari were seemingly out of luck. Barrichello had qualified in a lowly 18th, after all.

Yet again, however, Hockenheim would prove to be dramatic. The Brazilian had remarkable pace on race day and managed to close in on the top four by lap 20 already – and on lap 25, one of the weirder moments in F1 history happened.

A spectator, who had apparently been fired by Mercedes-Benz, had entered the track and made his way onto the grass next to the first forest straight, brought out a Safety Car. He even crossed the track – at a point of the track where the cars would fly by at close to 350 kph.

Luckily, no one was harmed because of this stunt, and racing resumed – only to be halted a short while later after Sauber’s Pedro Diniz and Prost’s Jean Alesi collided when braking for the Senna chicane, sending the Frenchman into a spin at highly concerning speed. After the mess was cleaned up, the Safety Car peeled off to the pits for good on lap 31, with Häkkinen in the lead.

Then came the real game changer: Rain started to fall, and most of the field pitted for wets – but not Barrichello. The track was still dry in certain parts, and Barrichello managed to keep up the pace even on drys. Despite the rain picking up intensity in the final few laps, he hung on to claim his first F1 victory after an impeccable drive in changing conditions, making him the first Brazilian since Ayrton Senna to win an F1 race. Naturally, an emotional podium followed.

“Ross said ‘Mika is coming’, and I said ‘let’s keep an eye [on him] and let’s stay [out] one lap more, and after that lap he said ‘just keep on going Rubens, you’re gonna win if you keep that pace’.”

2001: Farewell With A Bang​

While the 2000 German Grand Prix had showed how spectacular Hockenheim could be, it also became clear that it was not up to modern requirements anymore due to its length. The enormous speeds also meant that safety was a concern, and a 45-lap race meant that fans got to see the cars less often than at other tracks. The writing for the track was on the wall already.

Naturally, the final race at the old configuration was another classic to send off an iconic circuit. Lap times had almost fallen below the 1:38-minute mark, with Williams-BMW locking out the front row with Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher. The BMW engine was considered the most powerful on the grid at the time, which Montoya’s blistering Pole lap at Monza later that year all but confirmed.

At the start of the race, Michael Schumacher did hardly get off the line due to gearbox issues, becoming a slow-speed hazard for the rest of the grid. Most drivers avoided the Ferrari, but Prost’s Lucian Burti had nowhere to go – the Brazilian hit Schumacher, went airborne, and landed on Enrique Bernoldi’s Arrows while upside down.

Remarkably, no one was hurt in the spectacular shunt, and the race was restarted with Schumacher and Burti in their spare cars. The Williams-BMWs pulled away soon after the second start, but behind them, Schumacher, Barrichello and Häkkinen battled for third. Häkkinen would soon retire due to mechanical issues, however, and Schumacher followed after his first pit stop.

The other Schumacher, meanwhile, was nursing a brake problem, which saw Montoya pull away. A botched pit stop saw the Colombian drop to fourth, though, before retiring with a failing engine shortly thereafter. Ralf cruised to his third career victory, followed by Barrichello and BAR’s Jacques Villeneuve. Ten cars finished the race, only seven were on the lead lap when the checkered flag flew.

The Hockenheimring as re-designed for 2002. Note the outline of the old circuit that is still visible in the woods. Image: Google Maps

2002 onwards: Modern Replacement​

In early 2002, the bulldozers rolled in to start modernization work of the track. A new layout created by – who else – Hermann Tilke did away with the long straights in the forest, replacing them with a long, flat-out left hander, a hairpin, and another set of corners ahead of the Motodrom.

Gone were the days of slipstreaming battles at breakneck speeds in the Hardtwald woods. Keeping the old layout as an alternative for endurance races was not an option, either. Due to the amount of trees that had to make way for the new parts of the circuit, it was agreed upon to tear up the old track so new trees could grow in its place.

With the benefit of hindsight, it is sad to see that the track was torn up to keep F1 in Hockenheim – only to see that the World Championship has not returned since 2019.

Today, the outline of the classic circuit is still visible in aerial photographs, and if you visit the Hockenheimring, you can still clearly make out where the old track went and hike along its former path. These days, it is hard to believe that the incomparable scream of almost two dozen V10 engines pierced through the woods here while just in the other direction, a plethora of air horns, fireworks and raucous fans shook the stadium-like structure of the circuits final sector.

Nature is slowly reclaiming the traces of racing history in the forest, however – so if you intend to see the remains of the classic Hockenheimring for yourself, do not wait too long.

Luckily, sim racing allows us to still experience the track. While not particularly exciting when running on your own (save for the high speeds), slipstreaming battles agains the AI or other sim racers really make the track come alive. Automobilista 2 features versions portraying the track as it was in 1977, 1988 and 2001, in addition to the modern variant.

Assetto Corsa even goes back to the freshly-renovated track of the 1960s, with a version of the by @Sergio Loro available here on OverTake, with a 1988 version by @Dumeklemmer also to be found in the download section. Further portrayals of the track for other sims such as rFactor 2 can be found on the web, too.

Alternatively, you could fire up some older sims, such as Grand Prix 4, F1 Challenge 99-02, GTR2, rFactor or Automobilista to get your fix of Hockenheim as it was in the late 90s until 2001. You might even get another nostalgia hit in additon to the one from the track itself.

Do you miss the old Hockenheimring? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!