May 06, 2002
The starting line and grid are located in front of the medical centre and from here the cars power their way down past the garages in top gear at 180 mph. Changing down and braking hard, the Castrol Kurve is a sharp right-hand turn that is taken in 2nd gear at 70 mph. Once through the turn the cars come out on to the fastest part of the circuit and a near straight that is over half a mile in length. At a top speed of 180 mph, the stands of the Naturtribune West flash past on the left as the track curves slightly out to the left.

At the end of the straight the Remus Kurve looms - very tight, it takes the cars through 150 degrees. It is the hardest braking point in the circuit with drivers pulling -3.6 g as they decelerate hard to 40 mph at the apex of the corner. Out of here is another long straight, only slightly shorter than the one leading into the Remus Kurve and just as as fast as it passes in front of the Naturtribune Nord stands. The end of this straight marks the entry to the most curvaceous part of the circuit which swings inside and out.

The Gosser Kurve is a double right-hand turn, the 50 mph 2nd-gear entry being slower than the shallower exit which can be negotiated in 4th gear at 110 mph. The Niki Lauda Kurve is an open sweeping turn around to the left, taken at 90 mph in 3rd gear, and leading into another similar turn called the Power Horse Kurve which is marginally faster at 100 mph.

Out on to a shorter straight, the cars run parallel to the Start-Finish line at 175 mph as they approach the Jochen Rindt Kurve. This is an open right-hand turn that is taken in 4th gear at 105 mph and leads into a short straight from where cars can re-enter the pit lane. The A1 Kurve slows the cars down through 3rd gear at 85 mph as they turn right before accelerating out along the straight across the Start-Finish line.