The 2002 Hockenheimring Reconstruction Controversy: The Full Facts

[@inquisitor229]

The Americans have a valid saying here - 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. The modern Hockenheim is a sad pastiche of the original.

[@patrickguinnane]

Pretty sure that's a Russian expression, but still valid..😊

[@greenthumb6971]

Definitely an English saying

[@sierratango6574]

​@@patrickguinnane ONLY us Americans say the word ain't. The British say the word isn't. Russians aren't even in the picture! And why do we Americans do that? We (as a people) still like to remind everybody that we will rebel against all the BS in the world. Even if it is speaking the English incorrectly. In conclusion, IT IS AN AMERICAN PHRASE. FACT.

[@CapaNoisyCapa]

​@@sierratango6574Cool story, bro. Here's a Portuguese saying just perfect for you: "Enfia o dedo no cu e peida".

[@Sp4mMe]

Long track means lots of TV cameras and lots of marshals and lots of medical and safety crew, all very expensive, and that's before having to take care of all the infrastructure involved, potential resurfacing, barriers, etcpp. With F1 gone the circuit would have died. Instead it's still going and currently undergoing a bit of a revival even. This is leaving aside the big environmental concern that kept piling on pressure on the circuit; it IS in the middle of a nature reserve after all. The track was broke and needed fixing and it turned into a fairly decent track with decent attendance for different events. Good job overall.

[@WarriorRazor]

It was absolutely criminal what happened to Hockenheim.

[@greenthumb6971]

I’ll second that

[@markramone69]

Agreed; it was one of the very best F1 circuits.

[@jerep1715]

My favorite track ever, one of the realest if not the realest racing circuit in the world.

[@softdowner737]

Agree 💯 with you

[@fabulouschild2005]

Last time I was this fast, the Südschleife still existed

[@jcngokai-76]

Herman Tilke’s original idea for the track by widening with run-off areas was better than what it became instead, at least the drivers could have passed much faster, I guess, although sacrificing some of the trees is necessary.

[@heimanlee5955]

Perhaps modern Hockenheimring could get a speedway section similar to the old layout's forest roads, start from Einfahrt Parabolika and end on Spitzkehre. Also there would be a new straight connecting turn 7 and turn 11. There, spirit of the classic layout lives and none complaints for too hard to maintain.

[@Circuitsofthepast]

And then back into the red numbers.

[@PuncakeLena]

So the ultimate culprit of the demolishing of old Hockenheim was a mix of money and nature preservation requirements? Were it not for the extra investment needed to modernize and maintain the old layout as well as requirements to plant new trees to compensate for the old ones we'd still have old Hockenheim. I for one would've liked to see both circuits existing nowadays, with modern Hockenheim as an old Hockenheim alternate. In a different universe they could've used both layouts in 2020 like they did with Bahrain.

[@lz7ification]

It is sad that they had to butcher the old Ring just to stay afloat a few more years and ultimately lose F1 for good anyway, while we continue to witness those useless races in the middle of the desert with no one in the stands.

[@Bullet_1987]

yes you are correct. fia just want money. thoose races i desert or middle east have no soul and the racing is not so fun. f1 needs classic track to survive

[@t3h51d3w1nd3r]

Don't forget Barcelona Catalunya and Hungaroring, that regularly have races with no overtakes and only have a good race once every 10 or 15 yrs. The closed up grid this last yr or two really masked their shittiness but wait till the rules change in 2026 and it'll be back to usual snorefest train. They're finally going with an active front wing but everyone will have the benefit so no one will have the benefit, instead of just giving to a chasing car like drs but less artifical and not limited to straights.

[@Bullet_1987]

@@t3h51d3w1nd3r but that is new tracks. Talking about even older tracks

[@FoxTheWingedHussar]

In my City (neighbor city of Hockenheim) They always say it got Kastriert. What mean Castrated in german

[@rdl-f1gamer447]

@@FoxTheWingedHussar Woher kommst du?

[@FoxTheWingedHussar]

@@rdl-f1gamer447 Leimen ST Illgen bei Heidelberg

[@giacomobongrazio]

Thank you for this accurate documentary. Such an unbelievable story.

[@Circuitsofthepast]

You're welcome and thanks for your reaction.

[@orsomethingorno]

The new Hockenheim, judged on its own merits without the context of the circuit it replaced, is a good circuit, and it was particularly well-suited to the cars of the era when it was built. It was a modern circuit with modern features (good and bad) but it generated good racing. As F1 cars changed I think it became a bit less well-suited, and of course in the DRS era, the "long straight into a hairpin" model of generating good racing has been supplanted, so a circuit so optimised for the needs of early-2000s F1 is slightly less good. None the less, attitudes to it would likely be different if considered on its own merits.

[@AlonsoRules]

Hockenheim today puts on much better racing than the original layout ever did. The old layout was always a Noah's Ark engine race where drivers made little difference.

[@_NoDrinkTheBleach]

I realize that they wanted to offset the amount of trees cut down for the new section, but I wish they had kept the old circuit as part of the facility. Even if it was just for historic events like the old high bank oval section at Monza. It should still be present as a historic site. The new circuit is a solid race track, but it is completely lacking in spectacle.

[@invictus3598]

It's tragic how a bunch of self-interested idiots managed to destroy a fantastic track and event. I would prefer to see the Hockenheim Grand Prix over 50% of the current "slot car" venues in F1!

[@SpeedIng80]

In few words: The original high speed Hockenheimring was something special, the new Hockenheimring is nothing special anymore. I grew up some kilometres from Hockenheim and visited the F1 GPs of 1998 and 2001. I miss the original circuit very much and hope it will be restored in my lifetime.

[@Circuitsofthepast]

Don't count on it. They're not going to try another project like this to restore the old circuit.

[@SpeedIng80]

@@Circuitsofthepast Of course I don‘t count on it, but never say never. Maybe one day a billionaire wants the original Hockenheim circuit back…

[@toucheturtle3840]

I’ll never forget Kevin Schwantz overtaking Wayne Rainey into the spectator part of the circuit.

[@eamonahern7495]

I also heard one time that Tilke wanted to include the section where JIm Clark went off but the land had already been sold or repurposed so he wasn't able to.

[@kuchenblechmafiagmbh1381]

Indycar at the Lausitzring/Eurospeedway Lausitz isn't exactly right, open wheeler racing was split up from the early 80s into the mid to late 2000s, with the "official" IndyCar ran by the USAC and the Champcar ran by the CART, and it was the CART which had their race at the Lausitzring on 15th of September 2001, originally the name was "German 500" but was renamed to "American Memorial" due to 9/11 and that was the race where Alessandro Zanardi had his horrible accident where he lost both legs and interestingly Michele Alboreto had a fatal accident 5 months earlier (tire failing due to a puncture by a screw), so that very new track had almost a second fatality in less than 6 months! The mostly forgotten film "Driven" by Renny Harlin starring Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds and Til Schweiger was also taking place in that Champcar series and on footage from that race on the Lausitzring you can actually see billboards advertising "Driven".

[@Circuitsofthepast]

Not exactly right. The split up was in 1994, not in the early 80's. Indeed, at the time it was official the Champcar Series. But for convenience and recognizability, we used the name IndyCar in the documentary.

[@mpf1947]

There were two American openwheel splits: CART from USAC in 1980, which ended fairly quickly; and IRL/Indycar from CART/Champcar in the '90s.

[@petejay75]

WSBK races at the old Hockenheim were always a treat to watch and I think the layout back then was best suited to motorcycle racing anyway.

[@geniferteal4178]

I would still blame Bernie. whether he officially asked for it or not. He certainly had the means to stop it. He had a big habit of double speak and confusing language. Most of his answers to reporter questions were not straightforward. Had he been more forthcoming there might have been a better understandin That he course could have stayed the way it was

[@fredjames9867]

Probably true bernie was always chasing money at others expense.

[@rainergumpert5945]

I also dont Like the new Silverstone Layout. 91-93 is the best one ;)

[@aldouscoroza]

1997 - 2009 is the Best for me

[@qadirbuhlal5649]

for motorbike, pre 2010 layout is better

[@samuelgarrod8327]

​@@qadirbuhlal5649You mean it's your favourite, a circuit can't be 'best' because that is a completely subjective opinion.

[@MrDannyboyhall]

Was a much better circuit with bridge for sure

[@leinadnagrom]

The old curcuit would be able to have 4 drs zones. imagine how crazy a race would be on that circuit with the modern cars

[@SuperRAPIT]

I raced in this circuit in "total immersion racing" And at that time, start/finish sector was wery similar to Silverstone. To be honest, at that time I would said that this is Silverstone, but way cooler. Today I would say, that it was combination of 1999 Silverstone and Monza. But i Loved this track. Like feeling driving inside forest and nothing is there just trees and other drivers feels so unrepeatable

[@txtmstrjoe]

I'm probably in a minority, but I never fancied the old long Hockenheimring. While the forest environs were pretty, the track itself was pretty boring and also dangerous due to the ultra-high speeds and very low downforce levels on the cars. I guess I'm not a fan of just standing on the throttle for most of the lap, then just braking and changing gears once you get to the chicanes. Plus the danger levels really escalated when the heavens opened and rain fell. The trees tend to keep the water on the circuit and in the air, so visibility is compromised and you still have inadequate downforce.

[@Circuitsofthepast]

I agree that the old layout was boring, as most drivers found too. But it had it's own character and it was a good alternation on the F1 calendar as the opposite of Monaco. Today's layout is more average.

[@wibblewabblewoo6249]

I also like the fact the modern Hockenheim has a very good overtaking opportunity at the hairpin. People have rose tinted glasses. Many of the races at the old layout were, frankly, boring. There were some great F1 races at the new layout. The real shame is that F1 stopped going to Hockenheim despite some amazing races there, and that the old layout wasn’t kept so that BOTH the new and old are still possible.

[@vf23r]

from far-east. since 80's ,German GP at Hockenheim that I had seen it at recorded broadcasted after 24 o'clock was very characteristi. Motorcycle racing were also very exciting such as 1991 Schwantz vs Rainey or 2000 WSBK.

[@andrewwmacfadyen6958]

The death of Jim Clark always cast a very dark shadow over the old circuit.

[@SiVlog1989]

I can give the current Hockenheim one plus point, at least it allows both side by side racing and overtaking

[@recarsion]

So as almost always, the real answer is money and a lack of foresight... I honestly don't get why they couldn't have just improved infrastructure and built more grandstands around the existing circuit? I'm sure it would have been cheaper AND it wouldn't have destroyed a piece of motorsports history. And the old circuit imo would have been a great place for endurance racing too as longer tracks tend to be. It actually reminds me of Le Mans a bit, long straights, fast chicanes, and a more technical section in the end. LMP1 and LMH would have been a sight to behold on the forest straights for sure. I've actually been hotlapping the old layout with the Cadillac hypercar in AMS2, it's insanely fun and the track fits the car very well.

[@vf23r]

Unfortunately, Hockenheim drastically lost individuality of one and only by track-shortening. it kept away from even F1 calendar after all.

[@cipheranarchist]

More than 20 years on and I'm still reeling over the decision to gutter the old circuit. It was just so wrong and should never have happened. They literally killed the circuit entirely as the (new) short version is just lifeless.

[@Alexweav79]

Tremendous video Herman. While I agree it wasn’t their fault it was destroyed, they certainly could have stopped it and didn’t. So I believe they do get some blame. The track organizers messed up from the get go and now they still don’t have f1 anyways. Shame they couldn’t have done the modification and left the old part. Politics…..

[@chrisccc22]

I went to 4 GP there in the 90s. Camping and racing WOW!!!! What strikes me a odd, is that modern F1 cars would be well suited at the old track.

[@MrDannyboyhall]

The pre 2002 version of hockenheim was such a great track and although the new version is nowhere near as good it still provided some great races

[@fredjames9867]

Use to love watching hockenheim as a kid . Cars screaming down the straight's ..the new layout was such a bad design. The old track should had been kept. The amount of destruction to create this terrible track . I'm glad we don't see it anymore because it awful.

[@AlonsoRules]

That Mercedes person that ran across the track in 2000 was the impetus for Bernie to demand changes

[@Circuitsofthepast]

Oh yeah, then the guy who walked onto the track at Silverstone in 2003 was certainly the reason for the 2011 reconstruction.

[@McRocket]

Thank you very much for this. ☮

[@Circuitsofthepast]

You're welcome.

[@ukyo6195]

yeah, welcome to German incompetence. it's a shame to destroy the Hockenheim ring like that. With modern LED technology and screens, the ring would still be a spectacular race track today.

[@nordimejia5790]

the "new Hockenheim" reminds me of "Bohemian rhapsody", you know... when Kanie west tries to sing it.

[@benedictjudegovender2458]

I guess they could have tried to shorten the track and still keep the character of fast straights and the stadium section, the complete revamp was unnecessary

[@markoarkaina8656]

Calling Tilke a "star architect" is a bit of a stretch...

[@christopheryow951]

Big stretch ! More like kill of F1 tracks. I don’t think there’s a track of his design that I really like at all.

[@Circuitsofthepast]

I'm not a big fan of his designs either. But don't forget that he is also bound by the FIA's requirements. Regardless of what nostalgic fans think, at the time he was THE circuit designer of Formula 1 and therefore had a certain star status. At least with those who commissioned him to design the new Hockenheim. You have to see the term 'star architect' in that light.

[@MrDannyboyhall]

He did design the Nurburgring GP circuit and that is a good track

[@Circuitsofthepast]

@@MrDannyboyhall The Nürburgring GP Circuit was not designed by Tilke. He only designed the Mercedes Arena, which was added to the layout later on, to replace the first chicane. The Mercedes Arena is an awfull design.

[@Mbarnstein62891]

I would have left the tarmac as it was when the renovations were made for historical purposes.

[@williamford9564]

Passion doesn't pay the bills and as it was previously structured, it was not financially viable. It was going to shut down either way when Schumacher retired.

[@creepingjesus5106]

That was as I understood it - that greed was the cause of the downfall. However, I still think there was a sin of omission on the part of the FIA in permitting them to do it.

[@halofreak1990]

Why? Why should the FIA care what a circuit does with its layout as long as it meets all the safety regulations?

[@karlpedersen7]

They could of left it open for Classic races and special events.

[@Circuitsofthepast]

That would have been possible. But because of the many trees that had to be cut down for the new circuit, a condition was set that this had to be compensated. That is why part of the old circuit was demolished.

[@speakfreeley4473]

The old Hockenheim is still much missed. Today's configuration is something of a "Mickey Mouse" layout. All they needed to do with the old circuit was improve run-off areas in sections of the track where it wasn't deemed safe. Wouldn't have been that expensive, & thus the pre-2002 Hockenheim would have had a future.

[@Circuitsofthepast]

It was not only safety. The main problem was the grandstand capacity. However I agree, they could adjust the old track rather than what they did now. Today we saw an entertaining F1 race on a similar track.

[@YuriBruschi]

Ciao Herman, 🍀🏁❤️

[@Circuitsofthepast]

Ciao Yuri

[@YuriBruschi]

Now i watch again with translate. Very good video 👍 Bravo Herman, grazie. Ciao

[@master-kq3nw]

Bring back old hockenheim

[@samuelgarrod8327]

😂 Why do people say this? It'll never ever happen.

[@master-kq3nw]

That was better circiut now woods there they demolished wonderful circiut beacuse new trees

[@wolfgangvan-uber6515]

Hockenwhy?

[@bozobaz30]

The high speed circuit through the woods and the trees. Now that's script writing at it's finest lol

[@Circuitsofthepast]

Simon did a bit of free styling.

[@dezpotizmOFheaven]

As always: money.

[@brodeur212]

can you still visit today ?

[@Circuitsofthepast]

Yes you can. Download the free eBook on the website and you get a description how to enter the old parts of the track.

[@MrDannyboyhall]

Hell yes you can I was there a few years back

[@Bullet_1987]

so stupid. what if they did this to monza? it have same problems with lenght like hockenheim

[@Circuitsofthepast]

Monza is 'only' 5.8 km. A better example would be Spa-Francorchamps, whis is even a little longer than old Hockenheim. But as said in the video, the main problem was the lack of grandstands.

[@chrishall2211]

How the fuck could anyone take what Pasquale Lattuneddu had to say seriously ! Ecclestones little lap dog by all accounts ( according to various journalists) so can only assume in this instance he was putting out a message on behalf of BCE. I was never a fan of Hockenheim but at least the previous version was a bit different compared to the other tracks at the time unlike the current cookie cutter dump.

[@flynnrod1268]

sir who hurt you??

[@Todd-o8n]

At least the German people support racing, where in USA, tracks are being forced to shut down and are disappearing all over the place. I am not sure the USA citizenry is anti-racing, just a few "Karens", and the DEI government.

[@flexxx222]

Some do. The majority are indifferent, and a few very vocal people are strictly against it. There is a small group of Hockenheim citizens that try to get the Ring closed. Until now, they haven't succeeded. But nobody knows what the future will bring.

[@Todd-o8n]

@@flexxx222 Do not the anti-racers know what an economic monster racing can be? It is also one of the most equitable competitions there are, without even promoting that angle. Everybody wins, even in the periphery. Would the entire Isle Of Man close down for one month every year if there wasn't a positive economic outcome for nearly everybody? Some people "get it". 😉😉

[@axemanracing6222]

Could've been a nice 24h race track.

[@zooropaforever]

While it wasn't the most iconic track in F1 (Monaco, Monza, Nurburgring, Spa and Silverstone were supieror on this side), old Hockenheim was by far the most appealing visually. Ok, nowadays we are used to the incredibly flashy nights of Singapore, LasVegas and the likes (and they are great BTW). But I will never forget champions like Senna, Mansell, Piquet and Prost battling in the endless straights in the woods of the german forest. I will miss the old Hockenheim ring forever.

[@ilovelimpfries]

Till this day, I absolutely hate the modern hockenheim. It was my favourite track in F1, and i still haven't watched a full gp of the new config in its entirety.

[@RobbertsTravelGuides]

I have been there when the Südschleife still existed. one of the best circuits ever

[@Circuitsofthepast]

The Südschleife was a part of the Nürburgring.

[@ianmorris7485]

Such a great track castrated for no good reason. I wish someone had the money to restore the full circuit, as it appears it would be possible relatively easily according to Google Earth. Okay, maybe add a couple of enlarged chicanes a la The Chase at Bathurst to slow cars down a bit more.

[@Circuitsofthepast]

I once saw the old track from a plane, coming home from my vacation in Southern Europe. It was easy to recognize, because of it's typical shape.

[@albeback5234]

sir leavis was robbed in that forest

[@johnedwards230]

The new one is crap. The amount of trees they cut down was absolutely horrible.

[@samuelgarrod8327]

More were planted than were cut down.

[@MrDannyboyhall]

The pre 2002 version of hockenheim was such a great track and although the new version is nowhere near as good it still provided some great races