Sebastian Vettel expects the weather to play an important role in Scuderia Ferrari’s performance at the Nürburgring this weekend as Formula One returns to the German circuit for the Eifel Grand Prix, for the first time in seven years.
Vettel won the final race at the Nürburgring in 2013, while at Red Bull Racing, but since then he has had a change in fortunes. With the SF1000 down on performance this season, he expects the weather to play a key role in how it performs over the weekend. Visiting the region in October rather than the usual July, brings colder conditions and more emphasis on the tyres and grip levels.
“it’s an interesting track with a lot of low and medium speed corners, which put a premium on good traction. Coming to the Eifel region in October, we can expect it to be pretty cold, so getting the tyres to work will be vitally important.” said Sebastian. “I expect that, as usual this season, we will be fighting in the mid-field where every hundredth of a second can make a difference. We will have to take care of every little detail.”
Teammate Charles Leclerc mirrors Vettel’s sentiments: Excited to drive a Formula One car at the Nürburgring for the first time, but acknowledging the possible difficulties with keeping the tyres at their optimum performance. He added: “One important consideration will be the weather. I remember from previous races there that the clouds are never far away in the Eifel region. Conditions can change from one moment to the next and doing a good job of managing the tyres will also be a key factor. Let’s see what we can make of it.”
Turning to the fans, Vettel commented that he was excited to be able to contest his home Grand Prix in front of fans, following the global restrictions placed on outdoor events during the Covid-19 pandemic: “Returning to the Nürburgring is an unexpected pleasure given that this race was not on the original calendar. Obviously, I’m very happy to be able to race in Germany in front of my home crowd.”
