Eifel Grand Prix: Presentation and Predictions from the Editorial Team

Who would have guessed at the beginning of the year? Two weeks after Valtteri Bottas’s victory in Russia, Formula 1 returns to Germany to compete in another Grand Prix!

Absent from the initial calendar, the Nürburgring is one of those European circuits that came to fill the gap left by distant races. The Eifel Grand Prix actually replaces the Japanese Grand Prix, which should have taken place this weekend.

A circuit with fast corners, next to a legend

Located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region in the west of Germany, the Nürburgring is nestled in the heart of the Eifel hills, not too far from France: 200 kilometers north of Metz.

Made up of 15 turns, the circuit was built in the early 80s, right next to the terrible and fascinating Nordschleife (“the Northern Loop,” nearly 23 kilometers!), which hosted F1 races until 1976 and Niki Lauda’s frightening accident in his Ferrari.

Shorter, with 5.5 kilometers of track, the Nürburgring consists of fast corners, for a lap averaging more than 200 km/h. Notably, we think of the second sector, with the sequence of turns 8-9-10, “Schumacher” and “RTL”.

Heavy braking occurs at the end of the two DRS zones: the 1st (“Haug-Haken”) and the 13th corner, with the “Veedol” chicane.

The legendary Nürburgring returns to the F1 after 7 years! Discover more about this “new” F1 circuit: https://t.co/S7MJRbjIbr#EifelGP ???????? #Fit4F1 pic.twitter.com/m38EviH6tX

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) October 5, 2020

Hamilton and Vettel have already won at the Nürburgring.

Last winner at the Nürburgring, Sebastian Vettel clinched in 2013 what remains to this day his only victory in Germany. Then with Red Bull, the four-time world champion won ahead of the two Lotus drivers: Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean. A trio that returns to the German track this weekend, along with 4 other drivers on the grid: Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, and Sergio Pérez.

On a mission to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 Grand Prix victories, Hamilton already won at the Nürburgring in 2011. In 2009, Mark Webber claimed his very first Formula 1 Grand Prix win with Red Bull.

All the detailed figures from this race weekend can be found by clicking here.

In total, the Nürburgring has already hosted 40 F1 races, including those held on the Nordschleife. Unprecedented fact: this weekend will mark the first Eifel Grand Prix! The Nürburgring has previously hosted the German Grand Prix (from 1951 to 1976, then in 1985, 2009, 2011, and 2013), the European Grand Prix (1984, 1995-1996, and from 1999 to 2007)… and the Luxembourg Grand Prix, with victories by Jacques Villeneuve and Mika Hakkinen in 1997 and 1998, respectively.

Five ???????????? moments at the Nurburgring#EifelGP ???????? #F1 https://t.co/PKbkUdcrc1

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 6, 2020

Autumn or even winter in the sky?

Get your sweaters out! Wherever you are, you will shiver watching the Eifel Grand Prix. Very chilly temperatures are expected, with highs around… 8 degrees for Sunday’s race! The same trend for Friday and Saturday.

The clouds and rain will also be part of the mix this weekend, with numerous showers well distributed over the three days. A nice unpredictable cocktail, in theory!

The editorial team’s predictions

Big odds for the race: the victory… of Daniel Ricciardo! The Renault driver is mentioned twice by the Motors Inside editors, who apparently want to see Cyril Abiteboul with a tattoo.

Another favorite of the editorial team, Max Verstappen, especially for the pole position! Also mentioned on the podium at the finish on Sunday, Charles Leclerc, Sergio Pérez, Carlos Sainz, and Esteban Ocon.

And you, who are your favorites for this Eifel Grand Prix?

As a reminder, the race will start at 2:10 PM this Sunday. Detailed schedules for each session can be found here.