Germany 20/07/2008

The German Grand Prix returns to Hockenheim this year as part of the new arrangement for the race to alternate between the Heidelberg track and the Nurburgring.

At the height of Michael Schumacher's popularity Germany could comfortably sustain two grands prix per season, but with crowds diminishing after the record-shattering champion's retirement, and pressure for Formula 1 to visit new markets, the two German venues now share the race.

The sanitised modern Hockenheim is a far cry from its original 4.4-mile incarnation.

Until 2002, the track featured a series of flat-out blasts through the forest, punctuated by heavy braking for chicanes.

With speeds reaching 220mph in the woods, engines and brakes received heavy punishment, and while drivers found the long straights a little tedious, the high-speed slipstreaming made it a real test of bravery.

Hockenheim had an ominous reputation in its early days after the legendary Jim Clark lost his life in a Formula 2 race there in April 1968.

But it was still a significantly safer option than the 14-mile Nurburgring Nordschleife , which it supplanted as Germany's F1 venue from 1977 – hosting the race for most of the subsequent three decades.

The forest section was lost in Hermann Tilke's 2002 redesign, although the atmospheric stadium section remains.

The stands there echoed to the roars of thousands of fervent Schumacher supporters in the 1990s and 2000s, and their hero delivered the home victories they desired in 1995, 2002, 2004 and 2006, with brother Ralf taking the glory in 2001.

There may be no Schumachers to cheer on in 2008, but with BMW on the up, and young stars Sebastian Vettel and Adrian Sutil making their mark, Germany's next generation will be keen to impress their nation.

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