2002 German Grand Prix

Championship standings

Schumacher is the 2002 World Drivers’ Champion, having secured the title at the French Grand Prix with six races remaining — a record at the time for the most races remaining when a title is clinched. He holds 96 points. Montoya is second on 34, Ralf Schumacher third on 31. The Constructors’ Championship is still open: Ferrari lead on 128, Williams second on 66, McLaren third on 47.

Previous race

At Magny-Cours, Schumacher equalled Juan Manuel Fangio’s record of five world championships. He passed Räikkönen for the lead with five laps remaining after Räikkönen ran onto oil dropped by McNish’s Toyota. Räikkönen called it “the most disappointing race of my life” for losing his first possible victory that way. Barrichello failed to start — his Ferrari was stuck on the front jack on the grid with an electrical failure.

Between-race developments

With only one week between France and Germany, there was no in-season testing between the two races. Fisichella, who suffered a concussion in the final practice session at Magny-Cours, has been examined by the FIA’s medical delegate Sid Watkins at Hockenheim and cleared to compete.

Arrows entered the French Grand Prix qualifying but intentionally failed to lap within 107% of the pole time. Race director Charlie Whiting warned the team that similar behaviour at Hockenheim could result in action under the International Sporting Code.

This is the first race on the Hockenheimring’s new layout, reduced from 6.8 km to 4.5 km. The long, curved Parabolika leads into a new Spitzkehre hairpin, replacing the Senna chicane, and an additional set of turns connects back to the stadium section. The lap count has risen from 45 to 67 to maintain the advertising value of race distance. The revised layout has divided opinion: Ralf Schumacher calls it “one of the best” circuits he has driven, while Ron Dennis says the changes have “cut the heart out of something which was very special.”

Car upgrades

Mercedes and Honda both bring more powerful engine specifications. Williams adds extra bodywork openings at the rear for heat dissipation, building on the changes made in France.

Practice

Four sessions on a circuit new to all drivers, with overnight rain leaving the track damp and low on grip. Schumacher was fastest in all four sessions, and the only driver to lap in the 1:14 range in the fourth session (1:14.487).

In Friday’s first session, De la Rosa’s engine failed while leaving the hairpin. Coulthard was limited to six laps with a split CV joint boot. In the afternoon session, Yoong beached on a kerb at turn two; Fisichella’s engine failed at the Nordkurve; Trulli spun backwards into the gravel at Sachs turn; Panis stopped with a suspected clutch failure and lost 40 minutes.

In Saturday’s third session, Button lost control mid-corner after accidentally selecting neutral, nudging the tyre wall. Barrichello also spun into the wall at the final turn. The fourth session saw fewer incidents as drivers adapted to the circuit and more rubber built up.