Hockenheimring

Originally called "Dreieckskurs" (triangle course), the circuit was built in 1932 on the initiative of Ernst Christ, a young timekeeper from Hockenheim who felt a racing track should be built in his hometown. He submitted plans to the mayor, which were approved on Christmas Day 1931. The first layout was approximately twelve kilometres long, comprising a large triangle-like section, a hairpin inside the city, and two straights connecting them.

In 1938, the circuit was shortened from twelve kilometres to just over seven and a half kilometres, and the Ostkurve corner was introduced for the first time. The track was simultaneously renamed "Kurpfalzring." The facility was damaged by tanks during World War II but was subsequently repaired and renamed "Hockenheimring." In 1954, former DKW and NSU factory rider and world record setter Wilhelm Herz became manager of the track and promoted it successfully; Grand Prix motorcycle racing events were held, with the German motorcycle Grand Prix alternating between the Hockenheimring and other tracks.

In 1965, the construction of a new Autobahn A 6 separated the village from the main part of the track, prompting the construction of a new circuit layout featuring the "Motodrom" stadium section, designed by John Hugenholtz, who also designed Suzuka.

This version comprised a very long and fast section through forests — essentially four straights of roughly 1.3 km each, separated by chicanes — followed by the tight Motodrom stadium section. The layout forced teams to choose between low downforce for straight-line speed or higher downforce for the stadium section. A typical Formula One race ran only 45 laps due to the circuit's length, limiting how many times cars passed through the stadium.

During the mid-1980s turbo era, the long straights contributed to fuel management crises. Alain Prost ran out of fuel in the 1986 race, pushing his McLaren toward the line before abandoning the attempt; he was initially classified third and eventually sixth, gaining a championship point that helped him toward his second World Championship.

Problems at the 2000 German Grand Prix — won by Rubens Barrichello from 18th on the grid — accelerated the push for redesign. A former Mercedes-Benz employee breached track security on the first forest straight, triggering a safety car. Most overtaking occurred in chicanes invisible to grandstand spectators. French driver Jean Alesi collided with Pedro Diniz in braking for the third chicane, causing Alesi to suffer dizziness for three days. The FIA demanded substantial improvements to spectator viewing, safety, and security.

After Jim Clark was killed on 7 April 1968 in a Formula 2 racing accident, two fast chicanes were added and the track was lined with crash barriers in 1970. A small memorial was placed near the first chicane — named after Clark — at the site of the accident. In 1982, another chicane was added at the Ostkurve after Patrick Depailler was killed there during a private test session in 1980, and the first chicane was also made slower. For the 1992 German Grand Prix, the Ostkurve was reconfigured into a more complex right-left-right chicane after Érik Comas crashed there in 1991. The second chicane was renamed after Ayrton Senna following his death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

In the early 2000s, F1 officials demanded the 6.823 km track be shortened, threatening to relocate to venues such as the EuroSpeedway Lausitz and sites in Asia. The state government of Baden-Württemberg secured financing for a redesign by Hermann Tilke for the 2002 German Grand Prix.

The stadium Motodrom section was largely retained, though with a new surface and a tighter Turn 1 ("Nordkurve"). The long forested straights were eliminated in favour of tighter corners, with the remaining sections connected by a new long straight called the "Parabolika." A small right-left-right complex was added to the remaining part of the final straight, with a new grandstand overlooking it. In a particularly controversial decision, the old forest section was torn up and replanted with trees, permanently eliminating use of the old course. A new memorial to Jim Clark was installed at the outside of the current track's turn 2, where the old track had continued into the forests.

Drivers and team principals — including Ron Dennis, Jarno Trulli, and Juan Pablo Montoya — criticised the changes and stated their preference for the old circuit. The new track has a seating capacity of 120,000, with large grandstands sponsored by Mercedes-Benz.

The circuit first hosted the German Grand Prix in 1970, after F1 drivers decided at the French Grand Prix to boycott the Nürburgring unless major changes were made. The German Grand Prix returned to the Nürburgring the following year until 1976, after which Hockenheim hosted it from 1977 to 2006, with the exception of 1985 when it was held at the reconfigured Nürburgring. From 2007, Hockenheim and the Nürburgring alternated hosting duties following Bernie Ecclestone's 2006 announcement that only one German Grand Prix per year would continue.

Ongoing race deficits — at times up to 5.3 million Euro per event covered by local communities — threatened the circuit's F1 future, but in October 2009 the contract was extended to 2018 with the Formula One Administration agreeing to cover losses. Neither Hockenheim nor the Nürburgring hosted a Grand Prix in 2015 or 2017 after the Nürburgring failed to reach agreement with F1's commercial rights holder. The 2019 German Grand Prix, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz celebrating the manufacturer's 125th year in motorsport, was the last held at the facility.

The fastest ever lap at the circuit is 1:11.212, set by Sebastian Vettel in a Ferrari SF71H during qualifying for the 2018 German Grand Prix.

From 1986 to 1988, the start-finish straight was used for eighth-mile drag racing. In 1989, a dedicated drag strip was built connecting the Opel-Kurve and the first turn entering the Motodrom. When the circuit was shortened in 2002, the drag strip was moved closer to the new Tower stands. The strip was renamed the Rico Anthes Quarter Mile in 2008 after the German former Top Fuel driver who organised the NitrolympX for many years retired in 2007.

The NitrolympX hosts most of the European Drag Racing Championship, sanctioned by the FIA or FIM. In 2016, Anita Mäkelä set the first 3-second Top Fuel pass in mainland Europe with a run of 3.939 seconds at 486.91 km/h over 1,000 ft. The best time set on the full quarter-mile was 4.873 seconds at 458 km/h, recorded by Brady Kalivoda in 2005.

The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters has raced at the Hockenheimring regularly since its revival in 2000, typically competing there twice per season. The FIA World Rallycross Championship held the World RX of Hockenheim at the circuit in 2015, 2016, and 2017, using a track in the stadium section combined with a dirt section in front of the grandstands.

Former events at the circuit include the European Formula Two Championship (1967–1984), the BMW M1 Procar Championship (1979–1980), the Superbike World Championship (1988–1997, 1999–2000), and the World Sportscar Championship (1966–1967, 1977, 1985).

The following fatal accidents have occurred at the Hockenheimring:

1968: Jim Clark, during a Formula 2 race

1972: Bert Hawthorne, during a Formula 2 race

1980: Markus Höttinger, during a Formula 2 race

1980: Patrick Depailler, during a private test session

1986: Tony Boden, during a drag racing meeting

2014: Albert Fleming, during the Bosch Hockenheim Historic

This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.