Order your Formula 1 tickets for Nürburg, Germany here

About the Formula 1 race Nürburg, Germany

Circuit/Race info - Formula 1 - Nürburg, Germany

Nürburg circuit description
Built amid the remains of the old Ring in the wooded Eifel Mountains south of Cologne, the old track was regarded as the most challenging, even dangerous track in the world until it was taken off the calendar in 1976 following Austrian Niki Lauda's near-fatal crash. The new, shorter track opened again in 1982 and Formula One returned for the 1984 and 1985 seasons.

The modern circuit has a mix of high and low-speed corners with limited overtaking possibilities, putting a premium on qualifying and fast pit stops. In 2002 the Mercedes Arena was added and it extended the circuit by almost half a kilometre.

Region
The cities of Cologne, Koblenz and Bonn are not far away from the track, with Cologne proving a big draw for tourists. It is the fourth largest city in Germany and is recognised for its cultural depth.

History info - Formula 1 - Nürburg, Germany

Last season info Nürburg
The event was initially created as stopgap. In 1983, the Formula One schedule originally featured a race near Flushing Meadows Park in New York. When the race was cancelled three months before the event, track organizers at Brands Hatch were able to create a European Grand Prix at the track in its place. The success of the event, fuelled by a spirited battle for the World Championship, led to the event returning on the schedule the following year. Brands Hatch was unable to host the European Grand Prix in 1984, as it was hosting the British Grand Prix in even numbered years (alternating with Silverstone) so the European GP went to a redesigned and shorter Nürburgring circuit in 1984. It was a far cry from the 14 mile Nürburgring that most were used to seeing, and was initially unpopular during Formula One's return. Brands Hatch returned to host the European Grand Prix in 1985, but the race was replaced in 1986 by the Hungarian Grand Prix. In 1990, a wealthy Japanese businessman, Tomonori Tsurumaki, built an extravagant (and remote) race track called Nippon Autopolis with the idea of hosting a Formula One race. In 1992, plans were made to have an Asian Grand Prix in 1993 to replace the Mexican Grand Prix on the schedule. However, these plans failed to materialize. Instead, Bernie Ecclestone added a race at Donington Park to the schedule, which brought back the European Grand Prix moniker. The race was the brainchild of Tom Wheatcroft, who had been trying to bring F1 to the track since an abortive attempt to host the British Grand Prix in 1988. The first (and only) race at Donington Park resulted in Ayrton Senna's famous victory in wet/dry conditions where he essentially lapped the field. The European race would go to Jerez the following season, and then returned to Nürburgring, which was now popular again with drivers. Because of this it hosted the race again in 1996, but after complaints that no other countries were to get the race, the Nürburgring race was renamed the Luxembourg Grand Prix. Jerez got the race back in 1997 as a replacement for the Portuguese Grand Prix. Jerez hosted the season finale that year, and it was the site of the famous incident between Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve which saw Schumacher get disqualified from the championship. It was also the scene of Mika Häkkinen's first Formula One victory. In 1998, the European Grand Prix was dropped from the schedule, but returned in 1999 when the race at Nürburgring re-adopted the European Grand Prix name. The race has remained there since. The 1999 race was notable for the torrential rain conditions which saw many experienced drivers slide off the circuit, presenting Johnny Herbert with the opportunity to take Stewart Grand Prix's first (and only) victory in its final season before being sold to Ford. Herbert remains the last Englishman to have won a Formula One grand prix.

Winner + pole + fastest lap Nürburg Germany Europe
2006 winner: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
Pole Position: F. Alonso, Renault
Fastest lap: Michael Schumacher 1:32.099
2005 winner: F. Alonso, Renault
2004 Michael Schumacher Ferrari Nürburgring
2003 Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW Nürburgring
2002 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari Nürburgring
2001 Michael Schumacher Ferrari Nürburgring
2000 Michael Schumacher Ferrari Nürburgring
1999 Johnny Herbert Stewart-Ford Nürburgring
1997 Mika Häkkinen McLaren-Mercedes Jerez
1996 Jacques Villeneuve Williams-Renault Nürburgring
1995 Michael Schumacher Benetton-Renault Nürburgring

Travel info - Formula 1 - Nürburg, Germany

How to get there: Nürburg Germany
Airport
The airports of Colgone (60km) and Frankfurt are the nearest to the circuit. Public transportation is possible by rail, but transfer by rental car is favourable.

How to get to the track (and back)
Hire cars are inexpensive in Germany and are the only realistic means of transport for race fans because the Nurburgring isn’t close to any major towns or train stations.

Parking options
Like at the Hockeheimring, parking has been well arranged for at the circuit.

Where to stay
The Dorint Hotel just off to the track is the best option for a hotel but it usually is booked up months in advance. The little villages around the track offer good small hotels and a lot of bed & breakfast adresses can be found there as well. You can use our hotel guide to find a good hotel Do you prefer a camping site ? Directly next to the Grand Prix course a camping oasis of 300,000 sqm is waiting for you.

Tickets info - Formula 1 - Nürburg Germany

General information
The Nürburgring, host of the European Grand Prix, is one of the most famous racetracks in the world. The "Nordschleife" - over 22 km(!) is still open for test drives with your own car. The main part of the Formula 1 circuit was constructed in 1984. Most of the fixed stands and facilities date from the eighties and lack comfort. A large part of the grandstands are concrete terraces. Buying a seat cushion is no luxury. The stands around the start finish area and the temporary stands offer bucket seats and are reasonably comfortable. Restrooms are clean and there are concession stands at every stand.

Viewing quality
At almost all parts of the track there are grandstands at the Ring. This means a wide choice of locations. The stands are divided into categories Gold, Silver, Bronze and Green. The quality of the seating arrangement paired with the location determine the quality. All Gold stands are located at the start finish and the first corner. They offer a very good view of the action especially the T4 and the T4a (Mercedes). Silver stands (or sections of a stand) are usually in the corners or the higher rows of a grandstand. Stands T13 and T8 are very good as are the T3a and T3b which used to be Gold stands. Bronze stands are less expensive, but can still offer a very decent view. The T10a and T10b, as well as the T8 and T5b are very popular stands. There are also standing sections, T12 and T14. The quality is ok, but it is recommended to upgrade to Bronze because this increases the viewing quality significantly. All sections offer a TV screen although they may be further away for some of the Bronze stands.

Prices
Over the last couple of years the Nürburging has made the tickets for the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe more affordable. As stated before some stands were downgraded (only the price) from Gold to Silver. Gold tickets are expensive at 400-530 Euros. Especially the Mercedes Stand T4a does offer a fantastic view of the redesigned section after the first corner. The top Silver stands (Silver 1) are very affordable at around 300 Euro. Bronze sections at 160-220 Euro offer a very good quality for that price. There is a special family ticket offer for the Bronze 1 T10a stand. For every adult one child enters for free. These sections usually sell out first. For the people on a budget the Green sections are an interesting option at around 100 Euro.

Best Deal
The best deal on F1 tickets for the European Grand Prix is the Silver 2 T3b stand. Located at the end of the start-finish straight it offers a view of the starting grid and pit lane exit as well as the first corner and part of the Mercedes Arena. This ticket offer the best value for money at the Nurburgring.