08.05.2024
Opened on May 12, 1984, the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Today, it is a diverse home for motorsport events, festivals and sporting events - it was created in response to pressing questions about safety in motorsport.
The exciting history of its origins is accompanied by legendary names and still provides the basis for the most diverse Nürburgring of all time, which welcomes hundreds of thousands of motorsport fans from all over the world every year.
A chronological journey through time - to which we add a new chapter every day:
Safety discussions in the 1970s lead to the redesign of the NürburgringThe world of motorsport in the 1970s: race car technology was changing, and drivers and organizers were moving towards shorter race tracks that met the latest safety requirements - requirements that the 22-kilometer Nordschleife could no longer meet at the time. Hardly solvable safety problems and high organizational costs made the legendary track increasingly uneconomical for the racing series. After the prestigious Formula 1 also moved away in 1976, many questions arose about the future of the world-famous Nürburgring, which had formed the economic basis of an entire region since 1927. Various options were discussed - in the end, the only option was to build a new arena circuit that would offer drivers, organizers and spectators the best conditions.
From a natural track to the most diverse Nürburgring of all timeIn the late 1970s, the world's leading experts in race track construction set about redesigning the Nürburgring. They quickly developed innovative designs for a modern and safe Grand Prix circuit that would coexist with the historic Nordschleife. An originally proposed track layout of almost seven kilometers with two pit lanes was rejected for cost reasons.
The decision-makers finally agreed on a new construction costing around 80 million DM, which was built on the site of the previous start and finish area and the old south loop. The final design envisaged a 4.542-kilometer Grand Prix circuit that could be used both on its own and in combination with the Nordschleife. Several citizens' initiatives were formed to preserve this economically and culturally important track, including the "Yes to the Nürburgring" association, founded by Otto Flimm. This played a decisive role in securing funding for the construction project.
The first spade was turned for a construction period of 30 monthsIn November 1981, Dr. Bernhard Vogel, the former Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate, performed the groundbreaking ceremony, signaling the start of construction for the new circuit at the Nürburgring. Over the next 30 months, a modern track was built, meeting high standards of landscape and environmental protection from the outset. The Südschleife (South Loop) as well as the Start and Finish loops, integral parts of the Nürburgring from its inception, were replaced in favor of the new track.
Despite extensive construction work, motorsport in the Eifel region remained vibrant. To continue hosting races, the Nordschleife (North Loop) was shortened and received its own pit lane at Tribune 13, along with additional facilities for race control.
Grand opening in 1984 and surprise at the opening raceOn May 12, 1984, the new Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit was officially opened. The newly inaugurated facilities also included a press center, a motorsport museum and improved facilities for teams and event organizers. The highlight of the opening celebrations was a race with identical Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 cars. The field of drivers consisted of selected, renowned motorsport legends such as Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Stirling Moss, Phil Hill, Alain Prost and Jack Brabham.
The race, which lasted twelve laps, ended with a surprising winner: Ayrton Senna, still an up-and-coming, relatively unknown driver at the time, stepped in at short notice for Emmerson Fittipaldi and won the race impressively. With this success, Senna wrote himself into the annals of the "new Nürburgring" as the first winner ever.
New opportunities, new events, big victoriesSince the opening of the Nürburgring's new Grand Prix circuit in 1984, the staging of motorsport, music and sporting events has established itself in the Eifel region. The modernized track also brought back Formula 1 in October 1984 and served as the stage for the season finale of the newly founded German Touring Car Championship (DTM).
In the following years, the Nürburgring expanded its event portfolio considerably. In 1985, the now legendary "Rock am Ring" music festival was launched. One year later, the Truck Grand Prix made its debut, attracting further streams of visitors to the Eifel. Over the following four decades, the Nürburgring enriched the event and motorsport world with a variety of other events, including international guest appearances such as the FIA WEC and the EDM festival New Horizons.
A special moment in the history of the circuit was Michael Schumacher's victory in the 1995 Formula 1 race, when he became the first German F1 driver to triumph at the Nürburgring. Schumacher, the seven-time world champion, recorded a total of five victories at the Nürburgring, which he affectionately called "his living room". The deep connection between Schumacher and the Nürburgring was honored in 2007 by naming a section of the track after him, the Michael-Schumacher-S.