NUERBURGRING: Germany’s defending champion Sebastian Vettel reckons he will be extra-motivated for his home Formula One Grand Prix this weekend but so will seething Red Bull team mate Mark Webber and Ferrari’s resurgent Fernando Alonso.
The runaway championship leader lost out to Alonso in the last race in Great Britain where third-placed Webber was ordered not to overtake Vettel in the closing stages to avoid a crash that would have cost team points. Webber, who won his first F1 race at the Nuerburgring two years ago, was not best pleased by the Silverstone controversy to say the least, having ignored repeated calls to slow down.
The focus has been on the Australian’s Red Bull future ever since but Vettel, who leads his team mate by 80 points with 10 races left, will be back in the limelight in front of his own fans.
“One of the objectives a Formula One driver sets himself, is to win his home race. Of course, you always give 100 percent, but at a home race you’re always more motivated, simply because you feel at home,” Vettel said in a team preview.
“This year we’re back at the Nuerburgring, which is one of the better and more modern tracks.”
Seven-time champion Michael Schumacher also talked of “extra-motivation” for his home Grand Prix where a section of the track is named after the ageing driver but fans fear another poor result to wipe more shine off a glittering legacy.
FIGHTING SPIRIT
Nevertheless Schumacher is feeling upbeat as Mercedes gear up for their first German race in their current guise.
“We definitely want to show our home crowds our best level of performance possible,” Schumacher said.
“It will be the first time that I race through the corner which is named after me, and obviously I would like to believe that this is not only making me proud, but also even faster.”
Old adversary Alonso of Spain is buoyed up after showing his customary fighting spirit to win at Silverstone and move third in the overall standings, leaving Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button trailing after a tricky home race for McLaren.
The British Grand Prix was dominated by a row over complicated engine regulations, which McLaren’s drivers felt had hampered them, but a deal has been struck to return to pre-Silverstone set-ups.
A return to the Nuerburgring also offers drivers the chance to sample the adjacent Nordschleife, dubbed “the Green Hell” and widely regarded as one of the most dangerous and exhilarating race tracks in the world.
Teams will be holding various promotional activities on the famous stretch and any underperforming driver who needs to rediscover their love of speed will lap up the opportunity in the Eifel mountains south of Cologne. (Agencies)