Highlights

Motor racing-German Grand Prix facts and figures

(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-07-27 08:55

July 26?- Facts and figures for Sunday's German Formula One Grand Prix:

Circuit: Hockenheim Ring.

Lap distance 4.574 km/2.842 miles. Total distance 67 laps, 306.458 km/190.433 miles.

Race lap record: Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren one minute 13.780 seconds, 2004.

2005 pole position: Raikkonen, 1:14.320

Brief description of recent races:

2005 (Fernando Alonso, Renault)

A perfect day for Alonso, another nightmare for Kimi Raikkonen with his fifth retirement in five German GPs. The Finn suffered an hydraulics failure while leading from pole position. Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya took his McLaren from the back of the grid to second place.

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2004 (Michael Schumacher, Ferrari)

Schumacher, starting on pole, equalled his own record of 11 wins in a season. Jenson Button, who overtook Alonso 13 laps from the end to finish second, hailed it as the best drive of his career to date. Raikkonen led for a lap but retired when his rear wing failed.

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2003 (Montoya, Williams)

Montoya won from pole. Schumacher fought his way up to second place from sixth before a puncture three laps from the end left him seventh. Raikkonen, Ralf Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello retired after colliding at the first corner.

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2002 (Michael Schumacher, Ferrari)

Schumacher started his home race on pole for the first time and secured his ninth win in 12 starts. Montoya provided the main thrill with an overtaking move on Raikkonen.

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2001 (Ralf Schumacher, Williams)

Montoya started on pole but his team mate won after a dramatic start, with Schumacher faltering and the Prost of Brazilian Luciano Burti flying over the Ferrari. Montoya's hopes of victory went when his refuelling rig malfunctioned.

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2000 (Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari)

Barrichello wept after winning a race from 18th on the grid, his first win in 124 starts. It was run in heavy rain and the safety car was deployed half way through when a French protestor ran across the track and walked along the verge. Schumacher and Italian Giancarlo Fisichella collided at the first corner.

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Hockenheim was one of the longest of modern grand prix circuits, as well as one of the fastest, but the main straight with its high-speed blast through the forest has now been chopped out.

The German Grand Prix was first held there in 1970 and has been a fixture since 1977, with the exception of 1985 when it returned to the Nuerburgring.