A lap at Nürburgring with Paffett
Gary Paffett, the test driver of the McLaren Mercedes Team, takes us for a lap at Nürburgring in his MP4-21. The Nürburgring is the venue for the European Grand Prix this weekend. Last year, Fernando Alonso won the race after Raikkonen suffered a suspension problem.
"Powering along the start-finish straight at the Nürburgring you reach 300km/h in sixth gear, before braking hard for the entrance to the Mercedes Arena, which is a tight right hand hairpin that sees you drop into first gear.
This is immediately followed by a long 180-degree left hander and a 90-degree right hander, which swings you back round onto the straight. Powering up through the gears on the approach to the fast left of Valvoline Kurve, you brake from speeds of 275km/h in sixth gear to 196km/h in fourth gear to negotiate the sweeping bend.
A short burst on the throttle takes you to the second gear Ford Kurve, this bumpy right hander is taken at 112km/h. On the exit you accelerate downhill up to 297km/h in sixth gear as you approach the hairpin, which is taken at 94km/h in second. It is crucial to take a good line through the hairpin so that you can push hard and early on the throttle on the exit.
Up the hill towards the Michelin Kurve you reach speeds of 258km/h, lifting slightly for the left-right flick of the chicane, before braking hard for Michelin, dropping down to 148km/h in third for the 90-degree left-hander.
A similar right-hander, which is one of the most crucial corners on the circuit, follows and takes you onto the back straight. Taken flat-out, the fast, sweeping straight, with a slight right kink, sees you reach 310km/h in sixth gear as you approach the Veedol-S chicane, the main overtaking opportunity at the circuit. This is another tough braking point as you drop from the highest speed at the Nürburgring to 107km/h in second to negotiate the chicane where you have to drive aggressively over the curbs in order to carry the speed through the corner.
Accelerating out, a short burst on the throttle sees you reach 254km/h in fourth before dabbing the brakes for the final corner. Taken at 113km/h and using the whole curb as you exit, the right-hander flicks you back onto the start-finish straight to begin another lap."
