Nige takes on one of the fastest tracks in F1 history

The old Hockenheim was a balls-out speed monster, and who better to tame it than fearless Mansell, in a less-than-competitive Ferrari. Check out the long-ass straight 11 seconds in. It seems to go on forever, at least compared with today’s technical circuits.

Sadly, when they ripped up the daunting forest section (see image above - the old layout is in grey), characterised by its series of hammer-down straights, at the start of this century, they stripped the track of most of its personality. Shame.