Nordschleife is the old section of the Nurburgring which was dubbed the "Green Hell" by Sir Jackie Stewart after his race win in 1968. It was also home to Nikki Lauda's horrific crash in the Ferrari in 1976 which led to the closure of the track and the formation of the modern Nurburgring GP track in the 80s which also hosted the Eifel Grand Prix two weekends ago. In the F1 Beyond The Grid Podcast, Mercedes boss Toto Wolffe has expressed his reservations for any plans that would convert the iconic 12.9-mile track.
Nurburgring Nordschleife is considered to be one of the most dangerous tracks in the world
His comments come after F1 race track designer Hermann Tilke has been consulted on modernising the legendary track which has also been considered by many to be the "most "dangerous track" on the planet. The proposed plan involves bringing the Nordschleife up to F1 safety standards, but Wolffe is against the idea.
"I love the Nordschleife, I love the Nurburgring and I love the Eifel," said Wolff. "I'm not allowed to say that - my wife says 'you like the Nordschleife and you love me'. But I love it anyway! "So...no chance. I think it is much too dangerous like it is today. It has no run-off areas, it has so many bumps and jumps that a Formula 1 car would never drive there safely at speed. "If you touched the Nordschleife to make it Formula 1 compatible, you would destroy the whole DNA of the track," said Wolffe
"Let's just leave it like it is. It's a thing from the past, GT cars race there and that is pretty dangerous. I think we should go out there and enjoy a lap in a normal car or a sportscar. But please, let's not destroy the last iconic racetrack," he added citing concerns that any modification to the old track would destroy its very essence.
Nordschleife is home to a 24 hours race which is scary during the night leg
Wolffe elaborated on the fact that the track would need too many drastic changes for it to become race-worthy for modern F1 cars. He said it had over 200 corners something which was unprecedented on a modern track which would need tremendous amounts of runoff area. He also added that the entire track would need to be relaid removing all the crests and compressions which make it unique as F1 cars can't handle the undulations at 350 kmph.
"Everyone who has participated in the 24-hour race will tell you it is freaking scary in the night, in the rain, in the fog with the pedal pushed to thee floor, and this is what makes the race," he added.
In the same podcast, Wolffe also revealed that there were no substantial talks with Sebastian Vettel for joining Mercedes as his loyalty was towards his drivers something the four-time world champion also respected.
