F1 returns to Germany: McLaren and Mercedes tests at the Nurburgring on 14-15 April

A special test Formula 1 returns to Germany, at the Nurburgring. No, it is not a new round of the championship to make up for the cancellations of the Middle Eastern races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, nor an attempt to ingratiate himself with Max Verstappen given that the Dutchman now spends almost more time on the historic German track than at home. These are, simply, tests organized by Pirelli with McLaren and Mercedes for 14 and 15 April and which will take place on the Nurburgring track, obviously in its ‘modern’ version for F1 and not on the old Nordschleife so dear to the four-time world champion of the Red Bull team. However, this is news of a certain significance, given that this two-day test will mark the first return of F1 single-seaters to the iconic German facility since the 2020 Eifel GP, held in the season marked by the Covid pandemic, when the calendar opened the doors to many historic European tracks to at least partially compensate for the impossibility of trips outside the Old Continent in America and Asia. McLaren and Mercedes on the track The test session which will involve the reigning world champion team among the Constructors and the team favored to inherit the throne this season is part of Pirelli’s seasonal testing programme. Attention – weather permitting – should focus on the dry compounds, after the recent tests carried out at Suzuka by Red Bull and Racing Bulls in pouring rain and the specific tests for wet tires which will be carried out by Ferrari on 9 and 10 April on the Fiorano circuit. Given the impossibility of traveling to Bahrain due to the conflicts currently underway in the Middle East, the Nurburgring track is considered ideal by Pirelli for collecting useful data.