Second street circuit on the 2018 Formula 3 calendar (Update)

Norisring start last year

UPDATE The main straight for the Norisring circuit passes in front of the podium (just off to the left in our photo) where Hitler spoke to the masses during his Nuremberg rallies. We stood on the same podium during a WWII commemorative D-Day invasion trip we took 4 years. Needless to say, standing on the podium and looking out over the area where up to 500,000 people cheered him on was a chilling experience.

On top of the white stone building in the middle of the photo was where a huge carved swastika stood. The podium was in the front center of the building. The statue was blown up at the end of the war as shown in this famous short film below.

06/21/18 This week, the FIA Formula 3 European Championship teams and drivers travel to Nuremberg as the city’s 2.3-kilometer circuit, the Norisring, will stage the seventh, eighth and ninth rounds of the 2018 FIA F3 European Championship season.

As the season kick-off was held in Pau, Southern France, this will be the second time this year that the F3 young-guns will have to demonstrate their skills at a street circuit. The British rookie Enaam Ahmed (Hitech Bullfrog GP) wants to defend his championship lead, on his debut weekend at the Norisring, while the German drivers on the grid, Mick Schumacher (PREMA Theodore Racing), Keyvan Soori Andres (Van Amersfoort Racing) and Julian Hanses (ma-con), want to make use of their home advantage.

Schumacher and Hanses already succeeded in shining in the still short season. Schumacher impressed at Budapest by finishing third in the Sunday race and thrilled his PREMA Theodore Racing crew particularly on the first lap by leaping from ninth position on the grid to third right away.

Meanwhile, the season highlight of rookie Hanses to date was the second race at the extremely challenging street circuit of Pau. Although it was his first race weekend at a street circuit he qualified eighth and even finished seventh, in the 27-lap race.

With six races contested, the 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship field proves to be extremely well-balanced. To date, five drivers racing for four different teams made it to the top step once at least. The only driver to already have won two races is Enaam Ahmed who secured the championship lead by doing so. But Guanyu Zhou (PREMA Theodore Racing), Sacha Fenestraz (Carlin), Ralf Aron (PREMA Theodore Racing) und Daniel Ticktum (Motopark) also left a circuit with a race win under their belts. And who knows if Jehan Daruvala (Carlin) will join the group of race winners at the Norisring. The Indian was a race winner last year in Nuremberg and will give his very best to repeat this success.

Mick Schumacher (PREMA Theodore Racing): “From my point of view, the Norisring is particularly fascinating because we have to do many laps and the field is very close together as the track is that short. In 2017 the Norisring staged my only second street-circuit race ever but in the meantime, street races aren’t that new to me. Due to the circuit characteristics, predicting what will happen at the Norisring is virtually impossible. But I definitely will feel more comfortable here and safer when I go out, here."