Grand Prix 2020 Eifel Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

so here we are already in round 11 of an impressive 17 organized by FIA & liberty media, which will be the 4th grand prix of 8 & 2nd circuit of 6 that F1 werent planning on visiting. but then 2020 will always be the year that everyone's best laid plans were chucked out of the window & hastily rearranged. especially as the interesting fact is that liberty almost cancelled as many as we racing at. F1 are going to 14 circuits but cancelled 13

this weekend will be the 4th iteration of a GP at the same location. thats just modern circuit that F1 started racing at in 1984.
European GP - 1984
German GP - 1985
European GP - 1995, 1996
Luxembourg GP - 1997, 1998
European GP - 1999 - 2007
German GP - 2009, 2011 & 2013
Eifel GP - 2020

Nurburgring along with Spa & Monza are the most historical circuits in both F1 or General Motorsport. that F1 visits this season. as was built way back in 1927 with Rudolf Caracciola 1 of the greatest pre war drivers. was the 1st winner in a car at the ring in a Mercedes (what ever happened to them :D ) 2 years later in 1929 it was shortened by 4 miles to the 14mile Nordschleife we still know & raced on today by the public made famous by Top Gear & professionals in the 24hr race & WTCC both since 2015. although you wont be surprised to hear that F1 stopped racing at the Nordschleife, but not wholly because of 1976 horror incident with Niki Lauda as even months before with the increase of TV coverage & rise in safety. the decision was taken that 1976 would be the final race. as it was deemed unrealistic to be able to show the 14 mile circuit on TV & also have the number of Marshalls needed in case of an accident. i wont go into detail about the accident as there better places that will do it justice + a fantastic film about it in 'rush'. but it is interesting how by small margins lives can be transformed. because with the forecast being for rain. Lauda attempted to arrange a boycott of the race, other drivers voted but the "lets race" won by just 1 vote, & the cruel twist of fate is the guy that didnt want to race & encouraged a boycott was the guy that was apart of horrendous crash. fully explains why months after his miraculous recovery. he would rather lose the world championship than race at Fuji. also being at Nürburgring especially in the year of the great underdog performance in Monza with pierre gasly. it would be remis of me to not mention the feel good win of Johnny Herbert win & double podium for Stewart in 1999 . a season where he would only score points 3 times. but history only remembers the win as gasly will learn in decades to come & also it was brilliant for Minardi who held off Eddie Irvine scoring their 1st points for 4 years & penultimate until they left in 2005. (if you dont include the farce that was 6 car indy)

Anyway right to bring us up right to the present, the last visit to Nürburgring in 2013, it was Lewis Hamilton who was on pole for Mercedes (as much as things change, they stay the same) but if we get the same podium next sunday then it will have been extremely eventful race as i highly doubt Vettel, Kimi & Grosjean will be able repeat the feat & for 2020 with the race being in mid October. it will be the latest F1 will have raced in europe since 1984 season & 1997 season when they raced at Estoril & Jerez on 21st & 26th October. but unlike them sunnier climes we are expecting some worse weather. the average October temperature at Nürburgring is 9c & last weeks 24hr race was red flagged for nearly 9 hours because of rainstorm the winner would later describe as “the worst conditions I have experienced”. but it wouldn't be F1 if we expected Bad weather only for it to be bone dry.

The weekend could be very historical because Kimi Raikkonen providing he takes the start on Sunday will break Barrichello record, moving on 323 races. an absolute stalwart of F1. when he debuted in 2001 Michael Schumacher won the Race & competed against Hakkinen, Villeneuve, Alesi, Frentzen & Jos Verstappen. he always win most popular driver award & if you gave him 13th on grid, 6th in the race like his debut he would probably be delighted in his own kimi way & Lewis Hamilton could match the previously unbeatable record of Micheal Schumacher 91 wins. in almost the most perfect place, that you couldnt script any better. because would it be at a "home" race mercedes werent expecting but also at home track of the Schumacher family as circuit is only 45 miles from his birthplace & in would be sad but proud moment in the same way of the infamous press conference when Michael overtook Senna's victory tally. but then im sure this is nothing new as people felt similar when Stewart Overtook fangio, Prost Overtook Stewart & the last time Schumacher overtook Prost way back in spa 2001

also to end on some stats that i couldn't find a place for. but still worth a place

Jacques Villeneuve final F1 win in 27th sept 1997 in the Luxembourg GP at Nürburgring came 3 days before Max Verstappen was born

I hope the circuit is a happier hunting ground for Max than dad Jos in all the 7 races he competed in, never finished on the lead lap all he had was 4 DNF's, 13th, 14th & a team that folded that before they got there. to show for it

Only once at this modern Nürburgring. has driver from a country that doesn't have red in their flag won the race. that was Mika Hakkinen in 1998
 
The championship in the Junior series is developing intriguingly,
and it is even a pity that there will be no F2 races before Bahrain.
These races complemented the main event of the weekend well.
 
Perhaps because the German GP was originally scheduled then cancelled?
Why is it not the German GP?
There wasn't a German GP scheduled for this year. The 2019 German GP at Hockenheim last year was the final one in the agreement between FOM and the German GP organisers.

This year's GP at the Ring being called Eifel is probably due to some sort of pedantry over naming rights due to there being no current German GP contract in place.
 
Why is it not the German GP?
i think it probally alot to with contracts like cider_and_toast says. as it reminds me of something i mentioned in lead up to monza. & how the last time the same country hosted 3 GPs was 1982 when they america had 3 races at Long Beach, Detroit & Caesars palace. but USA GP was off the calendar for 8 years

but as i said in the intro. at least the Eifel mountains are in Germany. was it ever explained why german Nurburgring hosted the Luxembourg GP
 
Whatever it is, it seems idiotic.

was it ever explained why german Nurburgring hosted the Luxembourg GP
That was the second race held in Germany in that season - much like Imola/San Marino and Aida/Pacific. There was an informal convention of naming races after countries, continents, or...err, oceans, but mountain ranges were out. With Europe already taken, and no nearby ocean, Luxembourg would have to do, I suppose.
 
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They could have called it the "Who cares, Mercedes will walk it and Sky will piss their pants because Lewis Hamilton will match Michael Schumacher's record of race wins" Grand Prix.

I'm not very excited about this race.
 
but is a big achievement as i put in the intro. the wins record has only been broken 3 times in 47 years & not for over 19 years. so that is a big thing FB

but dont you think that highs of 8c instead of 28 ambient. are going to play havoc with the tyres
 
I have no issue with the record being broken. I have an issue with the faux excitement that the Sky team insist on creating over trivial records being broken which has devalued the brilliance of what Lewis Hamitlon is going to achieve.
 
That's the problem with Pay Per View TV though:

(puts on average sky commentator voice)

"And welcome to the first round of the 2020 World watching paint dry championships here at B and Q, Preston. After last year's thrilling final which all came down to the curing speed of a test pot of dulex white emulsion, in an absolute nip and tuck play off, we hope for similar excitement tonight"

"Here comes last years champions, Arnold Grabshaw, he'll be taking on the Italian Gio Larzio who has never made it past the first round of any paint watching championship in 68 attempts. It should be a thrilling and terrifically close match up tonight. So when we come back after the break standby for 7 and a half hours of white knuckle, paint drying action..... "
 
The rights to the name of the German Grand Prix are owned by whoever owns the race at Hockenheim. It seems odd that it is not Bernard Charles Ecclestone. He missed out on that one.
 
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