The Legendary Nürburgring: Will It Roar Again?

Located in the heart of the Eifel mountains in the historic town of Nürburg, Germany, the Nürburgring is one of the most extreme tracks Formula One has ever raced on.

 

With the development of modern Formula One cars, the Nürburgring is a track a bit too extreme for F1. Having last competed in Formula One in 2020, the Nürburgring is a track that puts the driver to the test. The challenging and risky nature shown in the 1976 crash at the track with Niki Lauda.

 

1976 German Grand Prix

 

The development of the 1976 F1 car was one that made many drivers nervous, with the cars at the time being too powerful for the tracks they raced on. Lauda not wanting to race that weekend, feeling as though the track was too dangerous for the drivers to go out. Lauda commenting “My personal opinion is that the Nürburgring is just too dangerous to drive on nowadays”. In a driver briefing ahead of the Grand Prix, Lauda attempted to get the drivers to vote out of the race, but a majority opted for the race to go ahead.

In the horrific crash, Lauda would be going down the straights at around 280 km/h, when something in Lauda’s Ferrari malfunctioned and sent Lauda straight into the wall on the second lap at the last kink before Bergwerk. Lauda’s Ferrari bursting into a fireball. The flaming Ferrari bounced back onto the circuit, Lauda’s helmet was torn off and he was trapped by his seatbelt.

 

Despite all odds Lauda survived, The Austrian driver refusing to die and astoundingly returning to the cockpit 6 weeks later at Monza.

 

“I was in there for 55 seconds at 800 degrees, until they got me out. I was right on the point of death for days and i think i really did die once”, stated Lauda.

 

Will Nürburgring return to Formula One?

 

The Formula One constantly growing, could 2026 hold a possible return for the German track. Current drawbacks of the track participating is a lack of investment and low popularity of Formula One in Germany.

 

 Stefano Domenicali, contacted by DPA, sharing “in 2026 you will see something interesting. We are talking with European organisers to do something that will be announced soon”

 

Neither the Nürburgring or Hockenheimring denied a future comeback. Jorn Teske, director of Hockenheim circuit, commenting “we were, are, and remain in contract with Formula One and are always exploring common possibilities”. Alexander Gehard, a spokesperson for Nürburgring, sharing “for us, the turning point is the economic profitability of an event, we will work together with the Hockenheimring”