Which race track do you prefer, New Hockenheim or Old Hockenheim?
The old pre-82 track – before the addition of the Ostkurve chicane – was better. The ground effects cars around there were quite amazing to watch. They just don’t have those kind of corners in F1 these days, although with modern safety features they could probably get away with having them again. Once the old Ostkurve was gone, Hockenheim was never as exciting…and you have to remember that back then it was regarded as a bit of a silly circuit anyway, not a “real” challenge, unless you went off into the trees that is. To many, Jim Clark’s death was doubly shocking for it happening on such a simple, safe and boring track. It tells you how far F1 has fallen if people are getting nostalgic about the old Hockenheim nowadays. The new Hockenheim looks mickey-mouse, and is in fact mickey-mouse. I’m amazed so many young people like F1 today, I’m not sure I would have been half as into it if I was just getting interested now, rather than 30 years ago.
