With half the season now gone, and with Micheal Schumacher back in the lead in the Championship, Formula One arrives in Germany for the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring circuit. Atlas F1's Craig Scarborough previews the ninth Grand Prix of the 2003 Championship and all the teams ahead of the race

A quick trip across the Atlantic and back, sandwiched between two major tests, sees the team arrive in Germany at the famous Nurburgring for Round 9 of the calendar, run under a flag of convenience as the European Grand Prix.

In the remaining races either aerodynamic or engine efficiency are critical, with only this race and Hungary being considered slower high downforce races. For many teams this may be the last chance to guarantee points this year if their car is inherently poor. For the top four teams engine and aero improvements will come on continuously, giving tiny increments to eek out an advantage over their rivals. It is significant that at this critical stage of the season Ferrari and Michael Schumacher have stolen the championship lead, just as McLaren are struggling to debut their new car and Williams are starting to come on strong with their car. Renault trails these teams, and is hoping clever aerodynamics will make up for the other deficiencies in their package.

Set-Up and Layout

The race this weekend sees the cars set up in similar configuration to Monaco, since the track is a typically tight modern European layout, and the circuit alterations (adding an even tighter arena section) last year have made it slower, although the alterations have provided a wider exit from the first corner to allow different lines and overtaking. Despite the number of tight corners the circuit does have a flow, and the drivers are always flat out to the next sequence of corners. But this 'foot down' nature brings neither high speeds or require heavy braking or other mechanically unsympathetic demands, and as a result the race should see good reliability.

Last year's race proved tyres were the major factor; the low grip slippery surface allied to the slow tight corners work the front tyres hard, while the first corners strange off camber exit puts all the weight through the outer tyre as the inner one lifts. This makes the tyres run hotter and causes graining - these effects only serve to increase the understeer and create a spiral of tyre wear. Teams with softer tyres or tyre problems may need to run more downforce in the race to keep the tyre pressed onto the track; this preserves the tyres but will also leave them open for overtaking on the straights. If the weather remains as hot as it has in Europe for the weekend tyre problems will be even worse, although storms are predicted and quite common over this race weekend.

A Lap of the Nurburgring circuit with Alex Wurz

Powering up through the gears along the start-finish straight at the Nurburgring you reach 181mph/290km/h in sixth gear, before braking hard for the entrance to the Mercedes Arena, which is a tight right hand hairpin that will see you drop into 1st gear.

A long 180-degree left hander and a 90-degree right hander follows immediately, which swing you round onto the short straight that leads to the fast left of Valvoline Kurve. You brake from speeds of 165mph/265km/h in fifth gear to 110mph/177km/h in third gear to negotiate the quick, sweeping bend. A short burst on the throttle takes you to the second gear Ford Kurve, this bumpy right hander is taken at 65mph/104km/h.

Exiting downhill you accelerate up to 185mph/297km/h in sixth gear on the approach to the Dunlop Kehre hairpin, which is taken at 60mph/96km/h in second. It is important to take a good line through the hairpin so that you can push hard on the throttle early as you exit. Up the hill towards the RTL corner reaching speeds of 175mph/281km/h before lifting slightly for the left-right flick of the chicane.

You then brake hard for the RTL corner, dropping down to 85mph/136km/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, you must maintain a high speed through here to get a quick lap time. Taken flat-out, the fast, sweeping straight, with a slight right kink, sees you reach 190mph/300km/h in seventh 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 Nurburgring to 60mph/96km/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 140mph/225km/h in fourth before dabbing the brakes for the final corner, Coca Cola Kurve. Taken at 75mph/120km/h and using the whole curb as you exit, the right-hander flicks you back onto the start-finish straight to begin another lap.

Team by Team

Ferrari

After a narrow loss in Monaco and similar reversal in Canada Ferrari may appear to have lost their edge over the opposition, but it is fair to say the team have the most consistent car/tyre package across all types of track, while both races have been at either extreme of the downforce scale with neither demanding great aero efficiency. With the mid season European tour of more demanding circuits it will be possible to see which teams have closed the gap to Ferrari. Michelins ever improving tyres also bridge the gap to Ferrari; the clear rubber advantage from 2002 has diminished and Bridgestone need to work hard to regain lost ground.

The team's ability to limit damage when the opposition are strong or when their cars encounter problems (i.e. the pit fire in Austria) has seen the team top the championships at the half way stage in the season. This mix of pace and reliability puts the team in strong contention for wins and podiums this weekend. But the F2003GA did not work so well with high downforce at Monaco, and the Nurburgring will see the team mixing it with the other top teams. Rubens Barrichello's qualifying pace has shown up Schumacher's fast lap a few times this season, but he has yet to put in a dominating race day performance.

F2003-GA tech note:

The new Ferrari continues to reveal its technical details, as the team are quite relaxed working on the rear end of the car during race weekend sessions. Running with a curved front wing and simply contoured rear wing there is some potential for development this year, but the slim sidepod and rear end layout outshines its competitors. The engine's heat shielding forms an internal aerodynamic surface to improve cooling efficiency, and the use of novel radial dampers replaces the conventional linear type. A new fashion set by Ferrari is the donut shaped shroud on the outside face of the brakes to improve the flow of heated air from within the wheels; this has been copied by one team already, and will no doubt appear on more in forthcoming races.

Williams

Ever improving is the best description for the FW25, as Patrick Head suggested would be the case after the cars initial poor outings. Restructures and new resources at Williams have put the cars performance somewhere between McLaren and Ferrari. Since the visible updates at Imola little has changed outwardly on the car, but subtle reshaping and work on the set up have brought the cars lap times down. The car still has inherent understeer, and the team have to work all weekend on set up to eradicate it; if not required so badly this time could be better spent elsewhere. Reliability has not been great but has improved from 2002. Monaco worked well for the car and team, so the European race will be much the same. Having pressed the Ferrari so hard in Canada, with the race win only compromised by earlier and longer pit stops, the team can feel confident that a race win may follow this weekend. There is little to choose between the drivers, as has been the case all year, and whoever gets the set up right in any given session or race will be ahead; the weekend when the two drivers are fighting head to head will be quite a spectacle.

FW25 tech note:

Williams were early adopters of the complex flat front wing and complex rear wing, but the car's lack of balance suggests the underfloor is compromised in some way. There have been several revisions to the influential front wing endplates, floor and bargeboards to cure this, with no doubt more to come. Rumours of a "B" version of the car are probably wide of the mark; the car has the key design features for 2003, with its wing and sidepod package. The front-placed bargeboards are often cited as a key problem in the cars design, but the drivers prefer the feel of these over the earlier mid-placed bargeboards, and as there is little advantage between either set up the team retained the forward-placed versions. Details on the Williams include the saw tooth gurneys, seen on the McLaren for several years, being fitted to the rear wing, as well as a notch cut out on the rear wing endplate.

McLaren

While the team work on the new car its competitors are slowly outpacing MP4-17D. It is taking time to develop the pace and reliability of the complex new car, with McLaren forsaking the major test at Silverstone last week, the last test there before the race, in favour of Jerez for its more predictable weather and an extra three hours of running per day. Rumours abound about the new cars problems and schedule and McLaren have delayed the cars debut, with the latest report having it not appear until the British GP. Even then the car may appear in what has been dubbed the MP4-18X specification, with the existing gearbox in place rather than the new carbon gearbox expected to arrive later in the season.

While this development goes on the current car is suffering. It is still hard to set up and drive, with the drivers pushing to get the car to qualify well, and this problem is exacerbated by the teams overtly race focussed weekend strategy. Nurburgring should be a better weekend for the team. The track's opening corners may tempt errors in qualifying, but the race should work out well for the team with podiums (but not a win) within reach. Kimi Raikkonen's increasing maturity was probably not set back by his qualifying error in Canada, and he has put pressure on David Coulthard, who has yet to repeat his form from the opening races.

MP4-17D tech note:

Already running a complex front and rear wings, there has been no recent development on the 17D. The new MP4-18 appears with a number of throwbacks to Adrian Newey's older designs. The drooped nose tip forms part of the flaps of the front wing, with only the main flap being attached by drop plates; this layout requires the nose cone to be a separate part from the wing assembly, and mimics the early raised nose Newey designed for the Leyton House and Williams FW15. The low nose tip belies the raised monocoque, retaining the keel and bargeboard arrangement from the 17D, and at the front conventional barrel shaped brake ducts appear, eschewing McLaren's previous simpler format. One controversial feature is the way the monocoque is inclined to sit lower than the cockpit's leading edge; these two areas are controlled by regulations but are not related to each other, and McLaren's interpretation is within the word if not the spirit of the rules. At the rear a new engine and one of two gearboxes are to be used; the rear suspension uses two links in place of a wishbone and this, along with the exhausts blowing out through the diffuser, are something previously employed on the Newey designed 2001 MP4/16.

Renault

It is hard to pinpoint the key quality of the R23; the car has efficient low drag aerodynamics, good mechanical grip and a reliable (and often underrated) engine, yet Monaco proved the car lacked something vital to win in high downforce set up. The team ran lots of downforce, and it seemed the car simply couldn't go quick enough through the faster sections. Lots of downforce requires a lot of power to keep up top speed, but other teams did not require the level of downforce Renault used, so could their mechanical grip be lacking? The puzzle continues. Nurburgring needs Monaco levels of downforce, so it will be interesting to see what Renault have learnt since that race.

Both drivers are putting in consistent race finishes and feature in the driver's championship. More podiums will keep Fernando Alonso clear of the following drivers in the top three, and the aerodynamic circuits in France and Britain should bring these places to him. Jarno Trulli is getting more relaxed and confident as the season progresses; he is clearly happy with his results, even though the media is still overlooking him.

R23 tech note:

Aerodynamics are the key feature of the R23; even when the car uses a curved front wing the range of ever more complex rear wings allow the car to be balanced and run less drag. The rear wing first run in Monaco separates the rear flap from the main part of the endplate; this allows airflow to bleed from high to low pressure regions in order to reduce the vortices streaming from the edges of the wing. These vortices are unavoidable, but reducing their energy and direction improves the airflow behind the car. This detail development highlights Renaults approach in 2003 to bring new developments on a race-by-race basis.

Sauber

Running to stand still describes Sauber's year. As a Bridgestone team they are often dependent of the tyres performance, but the chassis still has yet to stand out. The two drivers are keeping the car in the top ten, either with Heinz-Harald Frentzen's committed driving or with Nick Heidfeld's more applied approach. Development has been slow, with the first new parts only being seen in recent testing. The European race will see a committed weekend, but points finishes ahead of Jordan and BAR are their only realistic hope.

C22 tech note:

With a solid foundation the C22 has acquitted itself well so far; it has no outstanding features other than the effective employment of twin keels. It runs low downforce wings with a flat front wing, and at last a complex rear wing was seen in testing. The new wing comes as part of a new aero package, incorporating new flips ups that fold-in between the rear wheels. Sauber's aerodynamicist told me that they are a small gain, but the real gains in downforce are coming from other areas of the car than the wing and diffuser.

Jordan

Jordan has a car with potential, but they rarely find its true pace for either driver. Lacking grip and balance, the team have worked hard within the limited testing regime they signed up to earlier this year. Additionally the Cosworth engine has proven less than reliable, limiting the teams' chances to pick up points. Driver wise Giancarlo Fisichella is doing a good job however the car goes while Ralph Firman is improving, but has yet to learn how to drive around the cars limitations without getting ragged.

EJ13 tech note:

Jordan has the basis for a very good race car; the layout adopts current best practice, with compound angle radiators, sculpted chassis and part composite gearbox. But with limited resources and even less testing the team have yet to develop the car into what it could be. The curved front wing and simply contoured rear wing are largely carried over from 2002, as is the outer sidepod shape, and development is limited to new front wing endplates and adoption of Ferraris 'donut' brake shrouds. The aluminium gearbox was initially partly clad in carbon fibre for stiffness, and is now fully wrapped in carbon. Despite Cosworth reliability not being fantastic a small auxiliary oil tank has been removed, exposing the minuscule airbox.

Jaguar

If Jaguar disappoint it is only compared to the promise shown in qualifying earlier this year; in real terms it is a massive leap in form from the R3 of 2002. Jaguar are now firmly placed in with Sauber, Jordan and BAR as the permanent midfield. Standing out as the sole Michelin team in this group gives the team a chance to leap six cars up the grid if the Michelins are working; this perhaps explains the team's early season qualifying positions. Mark Webber has matured in his new environment, with his driving and work with the media leading him to potential champion status; with only his Jaguar contract sullying his short term chances. Antonio Pizzonia has calmed down in a similar manner to Firman at Jordan; the contractual scare seems to have worked, and his application to the job has improved.

R4 tech note:

The take no chances R4 design has paid off; the car has been reasonable reliable and on the pace, and its scope for development is huge, but Jaguar are probably preferring to retain their resources and concentrate on the R5 for 2004.

BAR

Having threatened to leap frog the opposition this year and challenge Renault, BAR have failed to deliver. The technical restructure and redesign has taken time to gel, and this has compromised the teams progress. The dependency on Bridgestone tyres has seen the drivers put in good qualifying sessions but never threaten the podium in the races. Reliability has also been poor, peculiarly affecting Jacques Villeneuve's car more than Jenson Button's.

The driver pairing appears mismatched; neither driver is particularly technical, with Villeneuve's indifference to testing being made up by his ability to drive around problems, and although Button is a fast driver he perhaps lacks the personality to lead the team and the car's development. Driver rivalry keeps bubbling up, more often than not after Villeneuve's press conferences where he speaks his mind and is often misinterpreted. Should Bridgestone find the circuit suits the tyres BAR can do well here, but a podium remains out of reach; Villeneuve would be even welcome a race finish.

005 tech note:

With the new car being a fresh sheet of paper design it features all the right bits. Chief designer Geoff Willis is an aerodynamicist at heart, and so its mechanical design should cater well for its exterior shape. Honda came in with a new engine and technical support for the gearbox, and so far this year the gearbox has remained a weak point; conversely the engine has been powerful and reliable. Aerodynamics feature a flattish front wing and their first truly complex rear wing, allied to slim sidepods, with clumsy hot air outlets. More aero development are rumoured but not yet seen in testing. An engine step was introduced in recent testing which saw Button's car modified with a larger airbox inlet; whether this is to suit the engine or the taller driver what not clear.

Minardi

Often forgiven for a lack of pace and organisation, this year has seen Minardi produce a car with a small budget but for the first time a better engine, and the result has shown almost no promise. Usually the engine and budget are cited as bottlenecks in lap times; this year Minardi has found the drivers hard pressed in races and qualifying, fortunately without the 107% rule hanging over them. Another year at this pace with the other teams still developing would mean Minardi will be too slow to realistically compete, which would be a loss for F1.

Positives for Minardi are the increased sponsorship deals and driver Justin Wilson getting a name for fast starts and overtaking on the opening lap. Jos Verstappen often outqualifies Wilson, but he hasn't been able to demonstrate the spark that makes him so popular with his fans.

PS03 Tech Note:

The PS03 is a clear progression from the PS02; design and wind tunnel development have been done in house, with a lot of carry over year on year despite the new Cosworth engine. Aero development has seen the stepped front wing change for a more curved version, just as others are ditching curves for straight lines for their front wings.

Toyota

This season is rapidly declining for Toyota; a run of poor races and chronic unreliability can only be partly put down to a mismatch of car and circuit, while the car has not visibly developed or grown more reliability. The two drivers are fighting hard to qualify the car well and get ahead in the races. For Olivier Panis this is familiar territory after his time at BAR, and it's poor timing for Cristiano da Matta to try and to learn his way in F1. A re-grouping of staff and resources is inevitable in this climate, so a solid race run for two cars is paramount for the team in Germany even if, on current form, it is a near impossible task.

TF103 tech note:

Taking the hastily designed TF102 and redrawing it into the shapely TF103 was a major task for Toyota, still without their fulltime windtunnel during the cars early design stage. But while the engine development brought a more powerful, lighter and reliable end product the chassis program under Gustav Brunner brought a car with similar faults as in 2002. Lacking aerodynamic downforce and mechanical compliancy over kerbs the car only suits a few circuits. Visible development has been limited with detail changes to the wings and endplates, and retaining bulky hot air outlets ahead of the rear wheels wastes the small and neat compound installation of the radiators.