Formula One news

Nurburgring chassis preview

The Nurburgring demands some of the highest downforce levels of the season, not only for the numerous slow and medium-speed corners, but also to maintain good stability under heavy braking for the first corner and the slow chicanes.

Corners such as turns 5/6, 8/9 and 10/11 in particular demand a neutral handling balance to avoid compromising the optimum line through the second corner in the sequence, and the engineers will often work through the weekend to dial out understeer in the medium-speed corners.

A quick, responsive change of direction is required in both the slow-speed section at the start of the lap, and through the quicker corners. Mechanical grip is particularly important through turns 1 to 4, but cannot be achieved at the expense of aerodynamic performance around the rest of the lap.

Tyre performance will, as always, be a critical performance parameter for all teams. The soft and medium tyres from the 2007 Bridgestone Potenza range will be used and ambient conditions will dictate how they are used in race conditions. Should the abnormally cool summer conditions continue at the Nurburgring, teams are once again likely to find themselves trying to minimise the impact of tyre graining on the softer tyre.

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