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113-569: The Formula Renault NEC is organised by its promoter MdH Consultants AG. In 2007, a Winter Cup , the first off-season championship of this series, was organised in December, in Hockenheim and Oschersleben . The winner got a free entry for the 2008 NEC season. The cars use Tatuus chassis and the 2.0 L Renault Clio engines like other Formula Renault 2.0 series. Michelin is the tyre supplier. Points are allowed as following : 30 for

226-697: A then-record eight Grands Prix. Their fierce rivalry culminated in title-deciding collisions at Suzuka in 1989 and 1990 , despite Prost's move to Ferrari in the latter , with Prost winning the former title and Senna taking the following. Senna took seven victories, including his home Grand Prix in Brazil , as he secured his third title in 1991 . The dominant Williams - Renault combination prevailed throughout his remaining two seasons at McLaren, with Senna achieving several race wins in each, including his record-breaking sixth Monaco Grand Prix victory in 1993 on his way to again finishing runner-up to Prost in

339-672: A British driver, which led to the signing of Dumfries. Senna later admitted "It was bad, bad. Until then I had a good relationship with Derek." Senna started the season well, coming second in Brazil behind the Williams - Honda of fellow countryman Nelson Piquet , and winning the Spanish Grand Prix by just 0.014s from Piquet's teammate Nigel Mansell in one of the closest finishes in Formula One history to find himself leading

452-508: A Jeep around his family's farm and also how to change gears without using a clutch. Senna attended Colegio Rio Branco in the São Paulo neighbourhood of Higienópolis and graduated in 1977 with a grade 5 in physics, alongside other grades in mathematics, chemistry, and English. He later enrolled in a college that specialised in business administration, but dropped out after three months with an average grade of 68%. Senna's first go-kart

565-409: A circuit already difficult on which to pass. On lap 46, Senna had finally come next to Prost and attempted a pass on the inside at the tight last chicane. Prost turned right into the upcoming corner, cutting Senna off and tangling wheels with him. The collision caused both McLarens to slide to a standstill into the escape road ahead. Prost abandoned the race at that point, whereas Senna urged marshals for

678-483: A dispute with tyre supplier Pirelli (Toleman were in the process of switching from Pirelli to Michelin ). Senna then suffered a fuel-pressure problem in the wet Saturday session at Tosa (the furthest point on the circuit from the pits) and did not have enough time for it to be fixed to allow him to make the grid. Senna's best result of the season came at the Monaco Grand Prix , the first wet-weather race of

791-625: A feat unequalled until Sebastian Vettel replicated it in 2012 . Senna also managed to win in Germany , Belgium , and Spain . Unreliability in four consecutive races in Phoenix , Canada , France , and Britain , and further unreliability in Italy , together with collisions in Brazil and Portugal , swung the title in Prost's favour. Prost took the 1989 world title after a collision with Senna at

904-428: A few millimetres. And he was driving with such precision that those few millimetres were the difference between hitting the wall and not hitting the wall. While I had been, at first, annoyed that we had retired from the race through a driver error, when I saw what had happened, when I saw how he had been driving, that increased my respect for the guy by quite a lot. That season, Senna took two more podium finishes—third at

1017-601: A former Grand Prix motorcycle racing world champion, was his teammate. In 1984, Senna hired Nuno Cobra to assess his physical condition due to his concern over his low weight. Senna made his debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro , where he qualified 17th but retired when the Hart 415T turbocharger failed on lap 8. He scored his first World Championship point when he finished 6th in his second race at

1130-470: A further six podium finishes included another win at the Detroit Grand Prix , thus finishing the season fourth in the driver's standings again, with a total of 55 points. The 1986 Formula One cars were the most powerful cars in history, with Senna's 98T producing over 1,300 bhp (969 kW; 1,318 PS) in qualifying and 850 bhp (634 kW; 862 PS) in the race. After winning

1243-463: A half, and the Ostkurve corner, which lasted until 2001, was introduced for the first time. In that year, the track was also renamed to "Kurpfalzring". The track was damaged by tanks during World War II . After the war, the track was repaired, and renamed to "Hockenheimring". Former DKW and NSU factory rider and world record setter Wilhelm Herz became the manager of the track in 1954 and promoted

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1356-461: A late-season push, and he won three more races to secure the championship, which was settled in Japan when Mansell (who needed to win), went off at the first corner while running third and beached his Williams in the gravel trap. Senna finished second, handing the victory to teammate Gerhard Berger at the last corner as a thank-you gesture for his support over the season. Senna was planning to move to

1469-467: A number of times, dived into the fast first corner ahead. Prost responded and went to pass Senna at the end of the first lap. Senna swerved to block Prost, forcing the Frenchman to nearly run into the pit wall at 290 km/h (180 mph). Prost kept his foot down and soon edged Senna into the first corner and started pulling away. Prost, normally a calm individual, was angered by Senna's manoeuvre, and

1582-460: A push-start, which he received, then proceeding with the race after a pit stop to replace the damaged nose on his car. He took the lead from the Benetton of Alessandro Nannini and went on to claim victory, only to be disqualified following a stewards meeting after the race. Senna was disqualified for cutting the chicane after the collision with Prost, and for crossing into the pit lane entry which

1695-634: A quarter-mile track for drag racing . It hosts one of the largest drag racing events in Europe, known as the NitrOlympx , and was one of the last Top Fuel circuits to race to 0.25 mi (0.40 km) before the FIA switched the nitro categories to the now-recognised 1,000 ft (300 m) distance in 2012. The Hockenheim Circuit hosted the German Grand Prix for the first time in 1970 when

1808-513: A role in the family business, Senna announced his retirement from Formula Ford and returned to Brazil. Before leaving England, Senna was offered a drive with a two-litre Formula Ford team for £ 10,000. Back in Brazil, he decided to take this offer and returned to live in England. As da Silva is the most common Brazilian surname , he adopted his maternal surname, Senna . For 1982, Senna arrived with sponsorship from Banerj and Pool, dominating

1921-477: A sour end. Senna was classified third in the final standings, with 57 points, six podium finishes and only one pole position. This season marked a turning point in Senna's career as, throughout the year, he built a deep relationship with Honda, which paid big dividends, as McLaren had secured Williams's supply of Honda's V6 turbo engines for 1988. In 1988, due to the relationship he had built up with Honda throughout

2034-459: A triple world champion, could ask questions like he did, knowing the pressure under which drivers raced and famously said: "Being a racing driver means you are racing with other people, and if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver." A year later, after taking his third world championship, Senna admitted that he had deliberately crashed into Prost at the previous year's Japanese Grand Prix, and he then explained to

2147-620: A trophy-related incident in Italy. In 1990, Senna took a commanding lead in the championship with six wins, two second-places, and three thirds. With Prost gone to Ferrari, he also had a new teammate in Austrian driver and friend Gerhard Berger . Among his victories were the opening round on the wide streets of Phoenix , in which he diced for the lead for several laps with Jean Alesi 's Tyrrell before coming out on top, and in Germany , where he fought Benetton driver Alessandro Nannini throughout

2260-440: A younger brother, Leonardo. He was left-handed . Senna was born of both Italian and Spanish heritage: his mother was the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, and his father was born to a Spanish mother from Tíjola , Andalusia . The house where Senna spent the first four years of his life belonged to his maternal grandfather, João Senna, located less than 100 metres (330 ft) from Campo de Marte, where his family operated

2373-469: Is Ernst Christ, a young timekeeper who felt that a racing track should be built in his hometown of Hockenheim. He submitted the plans to the mayor and they were approved on Christmas day, in 1931. This first layout of the track was around twelve kilometres long and consisted of a large triangle-like section, a hairpin in the city and two straights connecting them. In 1938, the circuit dramatically shortened, from twelve kilometres down to just over seven and

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2486-711: Is only used for two events in August, the Public Race Days and the NitrolympX  [ de ] main event a week later. Originally named the Nitrolympics and featuring Top Fuel dragsters, it was renamed to NitrolympX. When the Hockenheimring was shortened in 2002, the drag strip was moved back, closer to the new tall Tower stands that allow an unusual view along the drag strip. Even though

2599-486: The Aeronautics Material park and an airport. Senna was highly athletic—excelling in gymnastics and other sports—and developed an interest in cars and motor racing by the age of four. He had poor motor coordination and had trouble climbing stairways by the age of three; an electroencephalogram showed no abnormalities. Senna's parents nicknamed him "Beco". At the age of seven, Senna first learned to drive

2712-668: The British and European championships in his debut seasons. He then won the 1983 British Formula Three Championship amidst a close title battle with Martin Brundle , further winning the Macau Grand Prix that year. Senna signed for Toleman in 1984 , making his Formula One debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix . After scoring several podium finishes in his rookie season, Senna moved to Lotus in 1985 to replace Nigel Mansell , taking his maiden pole position and victory at

2825-644: The British and Portuguese Grands Prix—and placed 9th in the Drivers' Championship with 13 points overall. He did not take part in the Italian Grand Prix after he was suspended by Toleman for being in breach of his contract by entering talks with Lotus for 1985 without informing the Toleman team first. Although Senna did have a £100,000 buyout clause in his contract, the team had to be informed before discussions with another team started. Senna became

2938-543: The Dallas Grand Prix in the United States as the initial highlight of Senna's debut season, instead of Monaco. In an interview, Symonds recalled: The car was reasonably competitive there, so we expected to have a good race, but Ayrton spun early in the race. He then found his way back through the field in a quite effective way and we were looking for a pretty good finish, but then he hit the wall, damaged

3051-532: The Detroit Grand Prix from Frenchmen Prost and Jacques Laffite ⁠   —   which took place one day after Brazil was eliminated from the 1986 FIFA World Cup by France ⁠   —   Senna asked a trackside supporter for the Brazilian flag and he drove one lap waving it. Thereafter, he repeated this ritual every time he won a race. During an interview on American television, he used English curse words to express his frustration at having to go into

3164-615: The FIA to greatly improve spectator viewing, safety, and security at the track, claiming that the track was no longer suited to modern Formula One racing. In the early 2000s, F1 officials demanded the 6.823 km (4.240 mi) track be shortened and threatened to discontinue racing there, threatening to relocate to other tracks such as the EuroSpeedway Lausitz and sites in Asia . The state government of Baden-Württemberg secured

3277-678: The German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, plus either the European Grand Prix or the Luxembourg Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. From 2007, the Nürburgring and Hockenheimring alternated hosting the German Grand Prix, starting with the Nürburgring in 2007. Ongoing deficits of the Formula One races, amounting to up to 5.3 million Euro per race that had to be covered by the local communities, made it likely

3390-629: The Rhine valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg , Germany, located on the Bertha Benz Memorial Route . Amongst other motor racing events, it has hosted the German Grand Prix , most recently in 2019 . The circuit has very little differences in elevation. The circuit has an FIA Grade 1 licence. Originally called "Dreieckskurs" (triangle course), the Hockenheimring was built in 1932. The man behind it

3503-630: The South African Grand Prix at Kyalami with severe cramp in his neck and shoulders, and replicated that result two weeks later at the Belgian Grand Prix . A combination of tyre issues and a fuel-pressure problem resulted in his failure to qualify for the San Marino Grand Prix , the only time this happened during his career. Toleman decided not to run both cars during Friday qualifying at Imola due to

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3616-495: The Suzuka Circuit in Japan , the penultimate race of the season which Senna needed to win to remain in contention for the title. Prost had managed to leave the grid faster than Senna by removing the gurney flap from his car, which was unbeknownst to Senna. This reduction in aerodynamic downforce made Prost's car faster on the straights, but slower through corners—a clever choice to make it even harder for Senna to pass on

3729-489: The Tyrrell - Ford of Stefan Bellof was catching both at the same rate, although he was later disqualified due to weight restrictions broken by Tyrrell). Senna was renowned throughout his career for his capacity to provide very specific technical details about the performance of his cars and track conditions long before the advent of telemetry; this skill led Pat Symonds , Senna's first Formula One race engineer, to regard

3842-620: The 1987 season with Lotus, and with the approval of McLaren's number-one driver and then-double world champion, Alain Prost, Senna joined the McLaren team. The foundation for a fierce competition between Senna and Prost was laid, culminating in a number of dramatic race incidents between the two over the next five years. The experienced pair also quickly realized, despite their personal rivalry, they had to work together, especially in testing, to keep ahead of their main opposition from Ferrari , Williams, Benetton , and Lotus. One notable incident of

3955-459: The 3.149-km (1.957-mi) Donington Park circuit, Senna completed 40 laps and was quicker than the other drivers, including Williams's reigning World Champion Keke Rosberg . Neither Williams nor McLaren had a vacancy for the 1984 season. Both Williams boss Frank Williams and McLaren boss Ron Dennis observed that Senna insisted that he got to run their cars before anyone else (other than their regular drivers such as Rosberg) so that he would have

4068-498: The Brabham team and was linked to their second seat. The team's main sponsor, Italian dairy company Parmalat , wanted an Italian driver. Brabham's second car was eventually shared by brothers Teo and Corrado Fabi , while Piquet convinced Ecclestone to sign his friend Roberto Moreno as the test driver. Consequently, Senna joined Toleman , a relatively new team, using less competitive Pirelli tyres. Venezuelan Johnny Cecotto ,

4181-503: The Brazilian driver. Senna and De Angelis finished the season 4th and 5th respectively in the driver rankings, separated by five points. In terms of qualifying, Senna had begun to establish himself as the quickest in the field; his tally of seven poles that season was far more than that of any of the other drivers. Renault's V6 qualifying engines were reported to be producing over 1,000 bhp (746 kW; 1,014 PS). De Angelis

4294-423: The Brazilian got away with a warning from the FIA. At the post-race team debrief, Prost voiced his anger at the move which prompted Senna to apologize to Prost for the incident. Ultimately, the pair won 15 of 16 races in the dominant McLaren MP4/4 in 1988 with Senna coming out on top, winning his first Formula One world championship title by taking eight wins to Prost's seven. Although Prost scored more points over

4407-651: The British and European Championships, winning 15 of 17 races held at the former. In 1983 , Senna drove in the British Formula Three Championship for West Surrey Racing . He dominated the first half of the season until Martin Brundle , driving a similar car for Eddie Jordan Racing , closed the gap in the second part of the championship. Senna won the title at the final round after a closely fought and, at times, contentious battle with Brundle. In November that year, Senna also triumphed at

4520-752: The F1 drivers decided at the French Grand Prix to boycott the allegedly dangerous Nürburgring unless major changes were made. The next year the German Grand Prix went back to the Nürburgring until the 1976 German Grand Prix . From 1977 to 2006 , the Hockenheimring hosted the German Grand Prix with the exception of 1985 , when the race was held at the reconfigured Nürburgring. In July 2006, Bernie Ecclestone announced that from 2007 onwards, there would be only one Grand Prix per year in Germany. Since 1995 , there had been two Grands Prix every year in Germany;

4633-404: The FIA, including his 1989 disqualification and the incorrect pole position in 1990. Senna stated that no matter what happened, he would not yield the corner and that Prost taking his normal racing line would result in an accident. In 1991 , Senna became the youngest ever three-time world champion, taking seven wins and increasing his pole position record to 60 from 127 events. Prost, because of

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4746-555: The Formula One World Championship until Jules Bianchi in 2015 . Senna achieved 41 wins , 65 pole positions , 19 fastest laps and 80 podiums in Formula One; he remains a legendary figure within motorsport for his raw speed and aggressive driving style, and is frequently cited as a national hero of Brazil. He was also widely acclaimed for his wet-weather performances, such as at the 1984 Monaco , 1985 Portuguese and 1993 European Grands Prix. Senna

4859-533: The French GP press conference when Ron Dennis declared that they found consistent differences between the Honda engines from Prost and Senna, to the detriment of Prost. Tension and mistrust between the two drivers increased when Senna overtook Prost at the restart of the San Marino Grand Prix , a move which Prost claimed violated a pre-race agreement (Senna denied the existence of any agreement, although Prost's story

4972-628: The Netherlands and Italy , before Senna added his second victory in wet-dry conditions, at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Senna's relationship with De Angelis soured over the season, as both drivers demanded top driver status within Lotus and, after spending six years at the team, De Angelis departed for Brabham at the end of the year, convinced that Lotus were becoming focused around

5085-606: The NitrolympX had retired in 2007. As the dragstrip can only be prepared for professional drag racing after the last major circuit event, mainly the Formula One race, the grip is often sub par compared to permanent drag strips that host two Euro Championship events each year, like Santa Pod Raceway in England or Tierp Arena in Sweden. The best performances on the full quarter-mile were significantly below those in Santa Pod, and

5198-683: The San Marino, Monaco, British and German Grands Prix but retired from all these races either from engine failure or running out of fuel, and he had a huge accident at the French Grand Prix at the Circuit Paul Ricard's fastest corner after an engine failure in the middle of the corner. He did not finish in the points again until coming second at the Austrian Grand Prix , despite taking pole three more times in

5311-580: The South American Kart Championship in 1977. He contested the Karting World Championship five times from 1978 to 1982, finishing runner-up in 1979 and 1980. From 1978 to 1980, he was the teammate and rival of Terry Fullerton at DAP; their fierce rivalry saw several 1–2 finishes in major competitions . Senna later stated that Fullerton was the rival he got the most satisfaction racing against, owing to

5424-603: The Williams team for the 1992 season, but Honda's CEO, Nobuhiko Kawamoto , personally requested that he remain at McLaren-Honda, which Senna did out of a sense of loyalty; in addition to Alain Prost's recommendation, Honda had played an important part in bringing Senna with them to McLaren. That year, as had been the case in 1988 and 1990, Senna won the International Racing Driver Award" granted by British magazine Autosport annually. The award

5537-498: The World Championship after two races. Although the 98T was like the 97T which came before it, a quick car with superiority on tight, bumpy circuits but plagued with poor reliability, particularly in the second half of the season it saw him drift behind the Williams pairing of Mansell and Piquet, as well as defending and eventual champion Alain Prost. Nonetheless, Senna was once more the top qualifier with eight poles, with

5650-438: The accelerator and the cars collided at 270 km/h (170 mph) and went off the track, went through the gravel trap and slammed into the tire barrier, making Senna world champion. Senna stated it was not how he wanted it but how it had to be. Following the second championship-deciding collision in two years, Prost went on record criticising Senna's actions as "disgusting", saying that he seriously considered retiring from

5763-702: The angular Michigan street circuit, and the first ever for an active suspension Formula One car. As the championship progressed, it became evident that the Williams cars had the advantage over the rest of the field, the gap between the Honda-engined teams made most obvious at the British Grand Prix , where Mansell and Piquet in the superior Williams cars lapped the Lotuses of Senna and Nakajima who finished 3rd and 4th respectively. Senna became dissatisfied with his chances at Lotus and at Monza it

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5876-522: The best ET was set in 2005: 4.873 sec. and 458 km/h by Brady Kalivoda (USA). In 2012, some Pro classes could not find traction as Formula One had demanded a new surface. In subsequent years, the organizers provided a better track, with support from Santa Pod personnel and machinery. In 2016, Hockenheim, and mainland Europe, finally saw the first 3-second Top Fuel 1000 ft passes, with 3.939 sec. and 486.91 km/h (302.55 mph) by Anita Mäkelä (FIN). An overall European record for Super Street Bike

5989-465: The best chance of a good showing by having a fresh car. Peter Warr actually wanted to replace Nigel Mansell with Senna at Lotus, but their British-based title sponsor, Imperial Tobacco ( John Player & Sons ), wanted a British driver. Senna was determined to drive that season and certainly on his own terms. Senna's test for Brabham occurred at Circuit Paul Ricard in November 1983. Senna impressed

6102-426: The championship, though the stewards of the meeting denied that Balestre forced their decision, claiming that he was not present when the decision was made. Senna finished the season second with six wins and one second place. Prost, who could not stand working with Senna in what he felt was a hostile environment, left McLaren for rivals Ferrari the following year. Prost had burned bridges even with Ron Dennis after

6215-481: The championship. Senna negotiated a move to Williams for his 1994 campaign, replacing the retired Prost to partner Damon Hill . During the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola , Senna died as a result of an accident whilst leading the race, driving the Williams FW16 . His state funeral was attended by an estimated three million people. Following subsequent safety reforms , he was the last fatality in

6328-453: The changes and stated their preference for the old circuit. The change in the track layout also saw the installation of a new memorial to Jim Clark. This is located at the outside of the current track's turn 2, where the old track continued out into the forests, and the new shortened track turns to the right. The new track has a seating capacity of 120,000, due to new large grandstands sponsored by Mercedes-Benz . The complex also features

6441-715: The contract between the Hockenheimring and Formula One Management would not be extended after the Grand Prix of 2010. However, in October 2009 the contract for the circuit to hold the German GP was extended to 2018, with the FOA agreeing to cover any losses the event incurs. Neither Hockenheim nor the Nürburgring hosted a Grand Prix in 2015 or 2017 after the Nürburgring failed to complete an agreement with Formula 1's commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone . From 1986 to 1988,

6554-562: The downturn in performance at Ferrari, the likes of which littered the team's history, was no longer a serious competitor. In preseason testing, Senna made public misgivings about the car's competitiveness with the new Honda V12, stating that the engine was not as powerful as the prior year's V10. Even so, Senna won the first four races in Phoenix, Brazil, Imola, and Monaco as his rivals struggled to match his pace and reliability. However, by midseason, Nigel Mansell (who only scored six points by

6667-399: The end of the 1986 race , pushing his McLaren towards the line before giving up. He was placed 3rd when he ran dry and was eventually classified 6th, gaining a valuable championship point that would help him with his second World Championship . Many problems came to light during the 2000 German Grand Prix , which was won by Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello from having started 18th on

6780-459: The fastest official race lap records at the Hockenheimring are listed as: Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna da Silva ( Brazilian Portuguese: [aˈiʁtõ ˈsẽnɐ dɐ ˈsiwvɐ] ; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver , who competed in Formula One from 1984 to 1994 . Senna won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with McLaren , and—at

6893-441: The financing for the redesign by Hermann Tilke for the 2002 German Grand Prix . The stadium section remained mostly intact, despite a new surface and a tighter Turn 1 ("Nordkurve"). However, the circuit was dramatically shortened, with the long, forested straights section chopped off in favour of more tight corners. More than half of the first straight and almost all of the straight between the Ostkurve and Senna chicane were cut and

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7006-564: The first driver Lotus had signed not personally chosen by team founder Colin Chapman , who had died in 1982. At the end of the year, Senna had developed Bell's palsy , possibly from a virus. One side of his face had become completely paralysed; Sid Watkins gave Senna steroids to preserve the possibility of recovery. Senna was partnered in his first year at Lotus-Renault by Italian driver Elio de Angelis . He had dominated testing times at Rio, although he retired with electrical issues during

7119-464: The first forest straight, showing vulnerable security facilities in the forest and leading to the deployment of the safety car that neutralized a comfortable lead for the two Mercedes-powered McLarens . Later on, French driver Jean Alesi collided with Brazilian Pedro Diniz in the braking zone for the third chicane and his car spun uncontrollably down the track, which caused him to suffer dizziness for three days. These events prompted much protest from

7232-573: The following race at Spa-Francorchamps, where he collided with Mansell, and afterward in the pits an irate Mansell grabbed Senna by the throat and had to be restrained by Lotus mechanics. Senna then won two races in a row, which helped him take the lead in the World Championship: the ensuing Monaco Grand Prix (the first of his record six victories at the Principality ) and the Detroit Grand Prix , his second victory in two years at

7345-428: The grandstands. It hosted first ever World RX of Hockenheim , round 2 of FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2015 as supporting event of DTM. WRX also combined with the DTM for an event there in 2017. Official record lap times are only set during the race. The fastest ever lap on the track is 1:11.212 set by Sebastian Vettel in a Ferrari SF71H during qualifying at the 2018 German Grand Prix . As of October 2024,

7458-430: The grid. The race finished in changeable weather conditions, with pouring rain in the stadium sector and almost completely dry forest straights. All the overtaking moves that took place during the race were in the chicanes of the forest sector, meaning hardly any spectators saw most of the best action. Midway through the race, a former Mercedes-Benz employee, who had been dismissed, breached the track's security barriers on

7571-544: The inaugural Macau Formula Three Grand Prix with the Toyota -powered Theodore Racing Team , owned by Teddy Yip . Senna was managed for most of his junior career by Armando Teixeira, who was assisted by Domingos Piedade. In 1983, Senna tested for Formula One teams Williams , McLaren , Brabham , and Toleman . Peter Warr of Lotus , Ron Dennis of McLaren, and Bernie Ecclestone of Brabham made offers for testing in 1984 and presented long-term contracts that tied Senna to driving later on. During his test for Williams at

7684-490: The intervening period. His determination to take pole at the Monaco Grand Prix had infuriated Alboreto and Niki Lauda; Senna had set a fast time early and was accused of deliberately baulking the other drivers by running more laps than necessary, a charge he rejected, although the accusations continued in Canada when drivers accused him of running on the racing line when on his slow down lap forcing others on qualifiers to move off line and lose time. Two more podiums followed in

7797-459: The lack of money and politics at that level, describing it as "pure racing". In 1981, Senna moved to Eaton , a suburb of Norwich in England, to pursue an open-wheel racing career; he began his career in Formula Ford 1600, winning the British and Townsend Thoresen Championships that year with Van Diemen . Senna initially did not believe he would continue in motorsport. At the end of that season, under pressure from his parents to take up

7910-424: The left. In addition, as revealed by Formula One journalist Maurice Hamilton, FIA had warned that crossing the yellow line of the pit exit on the right to better position oneself at the first corner would not have been appropriate, further infuriating Senna. At the beginning of the race, Prost pulled ahead of Senna, who immediately tried to repass Prost at the first corner. While Prost turned in, Senna kept his foot on

8023-482: The main straight, a race which the Briton eventually won. Though Senna's consistency, the car's competitiveness, and the Williams' unreliability at the beginning of the season gave him an early advantage, Senna insisted that Honda step up their engine development program and demanded further improvements to the MP4/6 before it was too late. These modifications, including modifications introduced at Hungary and variable inlet trumpets introduced at Belgium enabled him to make

8136-406: The new Autobahn A 6 separated the village from the main part of the track, a new version of Hockenheim circuit was built, with the "Motodrom" stadium section, designed by John Hugenholtz , who also designed Suzuka . 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

8249-527: The old course either for future F1 events or for historic car events. There was and still remains a great deal of criticism of the track redesign, in terms of ruining the previous unique technical challenges of the old Hockenheim circuit and delivering a new homogenised "assembly line" circuit without the character of the previous layout, whilst being beset by the perceived problems of other Tilke circuits. Several drivers and team principals, including Ron Dennis , Jarno Trulli and Juan Pablo Montoya , criticised

8362-404: The penultimate round of the championship in Japan , where Senna and Prost collided the previous year, Senna took pole ahead of Prost. Before qualifying, Senna had sought assurances from the organisers to move pole position left onto the clean side of the racetrack. After qualifying, FIA president Balestre denied Senna's request, leaving Senna to start on the dirty right side, thus favouring Prost on

8475-436: The pits earlier than expected due to a deflating rear tire. Senna also had a brief foray into rallying when he was invited by British magazine Cars & Car Conversions to try out a Vauxhall Nova , an MG Metro 6R4 , a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth and a Ford Escort on a stretch of land closed to the public. Team Lotus had a new engine deal in 1987, running the same turbocharged Honda V6 engines as Williams had used to win

8588-450: The press his actions and motives at Suzuka that year, saying that it was a payback for 1989. He maintained that prior to qualifying fastest, he had sought and received assurances from race officials that pole position would be changed to the left, clean side of the track (where the racing line was), only to find this decision reversed after he had taken pole. Senna said that he was not going to accept what he saw as unfair decision-making by

8701-407: The previous year's Constructors' Championship, and with them came a new teammate, 34-year-old Japanese driver, Satoru Nakajima , who was a test driver employed directly by Honda. The team guaranteed Senna contractually preferential treatment over Nakajima in the allocation of equipment. Senna started the season with mixed fortunes: a podium at the San Marino Grand Prix was tempered by controversy at

8814-528: The race for the win. Senna won six races, including another Monaco win. As the season reached its final quarter, Prost in his Ferrari rose to the challenge with five wins, including a crucial victory in Spain where he and teammate Nigel Mansell finished 1–2 for the Scuderia. Senna had gone out with a damaged radiator, and the gap between Senna and Prost was now reduced to nine points with two races left. At

8927-407: The race to have a look at the place where he had crashed. And he was absolutely right, which was the amazing thing! Dallas being a street circuit, the track was surrounded by concrete blocks and what had happened – we could see it from the tyre marks – was that someone had hit at the far end of the concrete block and that made it swivel slightly, so that the leading edge of the block was standing out by

9040-402: The race to only that many passes through the stadium. During the mid-1980s "turbo era" of Formula One where fuel was restricted to either 220 (1984–1985), 195 (1986–1987) or 150 (1988) litres for races for the turbo powered cars, Hockenheim also saw drivers, including World Champion Alain Prost , at times fail to finish due to simply running out of fuel near the end of the race. Prost ran out at

9153-562: The race weekend. Although the Renault-powered Lotus 97T was quick and nimble, particularly on tight and bumpy circuits and perhaps had the best suspension of any car that year, the car was unreliable and Senna made a few mistakes out of inexperience. At the second round of the season, the Portuguese Grand Prix , Senna took the first pole position of his Formula 1 career. He converted it into his first victory in

9266-508: The race, which was held in very wet conditions, winning by over a minute from the Ferrari of Michele Alboreto , and lapping everyone up to and including third placed Patrick Tambay . The race was the first Grand Slam of Senna's career, as he also set the fastest lap of the race. He later argued it was the best drive of his career, an opinion shared by race engineer Steve Hallam , who recognised Senna's "truly special" talent. Senna led at

9379-584: The rain-affected Portuguese Grand Prix , a feat he repeated in Belgium . He remained at Lotus for his 1986 and 1987 campaigns, scoring multiple wins in each and finishing third in the latter World Drivers' Championship . Senna signed for McLaren in 1988 to partner Alain Prost ; together, they won 15 of 16 Grands Prix held that season—driving the Honda-powered MP4/4 —with Senna taking his maiden championship by three points after winning

9492-444: The rear wheel and the driveshaft and retired, which was a real shame. The real significance of that was that when he came back to the pits he told me what happened and said "I'm sure that the wall moved!" And even though I've heard every excuse every driver has ever made, I certainly hadn't heard of that one! But Ayrton being Ayrton, with his incredible belief in himself, the absolute conviction, he then talked me into going with him after

9605-401: The rest was connected with a new long straight called the "Parabolika", with a small kink being added between the first straight and the new one. A small right-left-right complex was added to the remaining part of the final straight, with a new grandstand overlooking it. In an extremely controversial move, the old forest section was torn up and replanted with trees, eliminating any chance of using

9718-518: The run off was cut in half it remains one of the longest in drag racing. The NitrolympX usually host most European Drag Racing Championship , sanctioned by FIA or FIM, plus jet dragsters and other entertaining events on the Saturday night show that draws 40,000 spectators. The drag strip in 2008 was christened Rico Anthes Quartermile after the German former Top Fuel driver and long-time organizer of

9831-445: The sand trap, and the two collided; Senna's car was beached on top of a curb and had stalled. Ferrari went on to finish 1–2, the first in an Italian Grand Prix since the death of the team's founder Enzo Ferrari . This proved to be the only race McLaren did not win in 1988. In 1989 , the rivalry between Senna and Prost intensified into numerous battles on the track and a psychological war off it. Some controversy also arose after

9944-400: The season, three of his second places were dropped, as only the eleven-best scores counted, meaning that Senna bested Prost by three points. During the season, Senna rewrote the record books. His eight wins beat the old record of seven jointly held by Jim Clark ( 1963 ) and Prost (1984). His 13 pole positions also beat the record of nine held by Nelson Piquet (1984). The biggest incident of

10057-410: The season. Qualifying 13th on the grid, he made steady progress in climbing through the field, passing Niki Lauda for second on lap 19. He quickly began to cut the gap to race leader Alain Prost . Before he could attack Prost, the race was stopped on lap 31 for safety reasons, as the rain had grown even heavier. At the time the race was stopped, Senna was catching Prost by about 4 seconds per lap (while

10170-421: The setting up of racing cars difficult, since a choice had to be made – whether to run low downforce to optimize speed through the straights and compromise grip in the stadium section, or, run more downforce to optimize grip through the stadium section and compromise speed on the straights. The long track length also meant that a typical Formula One race had only 45 laps, limiting the spectators' experience of

10283-566: The sport after that incident. During an interview with Eurosport at the Australian Grand Prix, Prost revealed that he had seen the Honda engine telemetry at Suzuka and that it showed that Senna had kept his foot absolutely flat through the 4th gear corner when he had hit Prost —  Senna had not even taken his foot off the accelerator to change down to 4th for this corner, strongly intimating that Senna had taken Prost out on purpose. Jackie Stewart interviewed Senna at

10396-519: The start–finish straight was used for 1/8 mile drag racing. In 1989, a proper drag strip was built by connecting the Opel-Kurve and the first turn entering the Motodrom section. The finish line was at the beginning of the forest, with a very long run-off on the straight in the forest. Competitors had to travel around the full race track in opposite direction to return to the paddock. The drag strip

10509-509: The subsequent race in Australia (where Senna won pole and led for 61 laps before gearbox trouble forced him to slide off into a tyre barrier) and brought up a number of controversial collisions in which Senna had been involved over the last few years, stating that Senna had made more contact with other cars and drivers in the last four years than all the champions before him. Feigning irritation, Senna questioned how someone like Stewart, himself

10622-608: The time Senna had 40 points) was able to put up a challenge in the Adrian Newey designed Williams-Renault. 1991 was a difficult season for Senna. Before the Mexican Grand Prix , Senna was injured in a jet-skiing accident near São Paulo for which he required stitches on the back of his head. During qualifying for that Grand Prix, he attempted to take the banked 180-degree Peraltada corner (Mexico City circuit's fastest corner) faster than normal, ending up spinning off

10735-455: The time of his death —held the record for most pole positions (65), among others ; he won 41 Grands Prix across 11 seasons. Born and raised in São Paulo , Senna began competitive kart racing aged 13 in a go-kart built by his father using a lawnmower engine. After twice finishing runner-up at the Karting World Championship , Senna progressed to Formula Ford in 1981, dominating

10848-401: The track and rolling over the car after crashing into a tyre barrier. At the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Senna's car had come to a halt on the final lap, but he was not left stranded out on the circuit, as race-winner Mansell pulled over on his parade lap and allowed the Brazilian to ride on the Williams side-pod back to the pits. Senna then had an enormous accident during testing at

10961-461: The track successfully; Grand Prix motorcycle racing events were held, with the German motorcycle Grand Prix alternating between the Hockenheimring and other tracks. This version of the circuit was just over seven and a half kilometres long and consisted of the original two long straights, with the Ostkurve in the forest and the original hairpin inside Hockenheim joining them together. In 1965, when

11074-534: The very fast Hockenheim circuit in Germany where his car flew 15 feet into the air after a tyre failure, and turned over several times upon coming down onto the track. The car was destroyed and Senna had to spend the night in hospital in nearby Mannheim . While still able to compete in the German Grand Prix soon thereafter, at that event Senna ran out of fuel mere laps before the end. At the Spanish Grand Prix , Senna and Mansell went wheel-to-wheel with only centimetres to spare, at over 320 km/h (200 mph) down

11187-478: The winner, 24 for the 2nd, 20 for the 3rd, then 17, 16, 15... until 1 for the 20. Only classified drivers are awarded by points. A secondary class, the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup FR2000 , was first contested in 2010. Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg ( German: [ˈhɔkŋ̍haɪmʁɪŋ ˌbaːdn̩ ˈvʏʁtəmbɛʁk] ) is a motor racing circuit situated in

11300-770: The year happened at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza . With two laps remaining, Senna held a five-second lead over the Ferraris of Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto , who were closing in on the McLaren MP4/4 (Prost had earlier retired with a badly misfiring engine). Going into the Rettifilo chicane, Senna closed on the Williams FW12 of Jean-Louis Schlesser (standing in for the unwell Nigel Mansell). Schlesser steered wide, attempting to give Senna room to lap him, losing then regaining control to avoid going into

11413-479: The year was at the Monaco Grand Prix , where Senna out-qualified Prost by 1.4 seconds and led for most of the race before crashing on lap 67. Instead of returning to the pit lane, Senna was so distressed by his mistake that he went back to his apartment and did not contact the team until he walked into the pit garage as they were packing up later that night. After team manager Jo Ramirez called him through his Monaco apartment's cleaner hours after he had crashed, Senna

11526-518: Was announced that he would be joining McLaren for 1988. Senna was fined $ 15,000 for punching a corner marshal after they refused to push his stalled car in Mexico then finished the season strongly, coming second in the final two races in Japan and Australia ; post-race scrutineering at the final race found the brake ducts of his Lotus to be wider than permitted by the rules and he was disqualified, bringing his last and most successful season with Lotus to

11639-511: Was backed up by John Hogan of the team's major sponsor, Marlboro ). A discussion between the two drivers and Dennis during a test session at the Pembrey circuit in Wales served to effectively confirm Senna and Prost's personal animosity to Dennis and the team. Senna took an early lead in the championship with victories in San Marino, Monaco , and Mexico . Senna also led every lap of those races,

11752-471: Was built by his father using a small 1 hp lawnmower engine. Senna started racing at Interlagos and entered his first kart racing competition at the age of 13. He started his debut race on pole position , against drivers who were several years older than him; he managed to lead most of the race before retiring after colliding with an opponent. His father supported him throughout his karting career, with Lucio Pascal Gascon becoming his manager. Senna won

11865-572: Was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2000. Senna was born at 02:35 local time on 21 March 1960, in the Pro-Matre Maternity Hospital of Santana , a neighbourhood of São Paulo . The middle child of a wealthy Brazilian family, he was born to landowner and factory owner Milton Guirado da Silva and his wife Neide Joanna Senna da Silva; he had an older sister, Viviane , and

11978-476: Was much faster and efficient than any other car that season. McLaren's new car for the season had several shortcomings. A delay occurred in getting the new MP4/7A model running (it was McLaren's first car with a semi-automatic gearbox and it debuted in the third race of the season, the Brazilian Grand Prix) and in addition to lacking active suspension, the new car suffered from reliability issues and

12091-451: Was not part of the track. A large fine and temporary suspension of his FIA Super License followed in the winter of 1989, and an irate Senna engaged in public criticism of the FIA and its then-president, Jean-Marie Balestre , whom he blamed for his disqualification in Japan. Senna claimed that Balestre had forced the race stewards to disqualify him so his fellow Frenchman Prost could win

12204-459: Was placed near the first chicane (which was named after him), at the site of his accident. In 1982, another chicane was added at the Ostkurve ( east curve ), after Patrick Depailler was killed there in 1980, and the first chicane was made slower as well. For the 1992 German Grand Prix , the Ostkurve was changed yet again, from a quick left turn into a more complex right-left-right chicane, after Érik Comas crashed there in 1991 . The second chicane

12317-846: Was presented by Stirling Moss and Senna was interviewed on stage by Formula 1 commentator Murray Walker . During the interview, Senna confirmed that at the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) gala dinner in Paris the day before, under the auspices of Jackie Stewart, Senna had given one of his helmets to his renowned foe, Jean-Marie Balestre, because of the sincere atmosphere that presented itself and as an insulting psychological gesture. In 1992, Senna's determination to win manifested itself in dismay at McLaren's inability to challenge Williams's all-conquering FW14B car. The FW14B, thanks in part to its aerodynamic-enhancing active suspension and powerful Renault V10 engine

12430-439: Was renamed after Ayrton Senna , after his death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix . This version used to be quite large, with a very long and very fast section going through forests essentially consisting of four straights of roughly 1.3 km (0.81 mi), separated by a chicane sequence, followed by a more tight and twisty "stadium" section (so called because of all the grandstands situated there) named Motodrom . This made

12543-404: Was replaced at Lotus by Scotland 's Johnny Dumfries after Senna vetoed Derek Warwick from joining the team, saying that Lotus could not run competitive cars for two top drivers at the same time. Senna allegedly pushed for his former flatmate and fellow Brazilian Maurício Gugelmin to join the team as a pure number two driver, but the team's major sponsor John Player & Sons (JPS) insisted on

12656-460: Was set by Garry Bowe (GB) with 7.04s 340.69 km/h (211.69 mph). The DTM ( Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters ) series has regularly raced at the Hockenheimring since its revival in 2000. In most years, the DTM has competed there twice during a season. Located in the stadia section of the track, the rallycross track uses a section of track from turns 11 to 16, combined with a dirt section in front of

12769-443: Was still devastated by his own mistake. As the television cameras had not captured his crash, team boss Ron Dennis did not know what had caused his DNF until then, although Prost speculated that judging from the tyre marks, it appeared as though Senna had clipped the inside barrier at Portier, which pitched him into the outside guard rail. At the Portuguese Grand Prix , Prost made a slightly faster start than Senna who, as he would

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