On Sunday, May 25, 2008, Force India wheelman Adrian Sutil was 66 laps into the 76-lap Monaco Grand Prix. In fourth place and driving the race of his young career, the German driver was only seven minutes and 10 laps away from a finish that would splash headlines around the world, but also a result that would provide a huge infusion of pride and enthusiasm into the somewhat underfunded and underdog first year Formula 1 team. But then it all went to hell. Reigning World Champion Kimi Raikkonen of the Scuderia Ferrari outfit lost control of his car at the slipper exit of the famed tunnel and rear-ended Sutil’s Ferrari-powered Force India VMJ-01. The suspension of his struck car broken, Sutil was forced to pit, his race run and his — and the team’s — hopes and dreams going right up in smoke. “I think it was the absolute highlight of the last year, I think everyone was close to crying because it’s such a situation,” Sutil would say after the crash. “It feels like a pain in my heart. It is like a dream gone to a nightmare.”

Since Monaco, three more Grands Prix have gone by — Canada, France and Great Britain — Sutil placing no better than 19th. However, next Sunday at the 2008 Formula 1 Grosser Preis Santander Von Deutschland, Adrian Sutil and his VMJ-01 will have 67 laps to try and earn another shot at World Championship points. The race will take place at the Hockenheimring Baden-Wurttemberg, a track built in 1932 by utilizing the roads of a local forest. Originally used for motorcycle racing and as a test track for the mighty Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union race teams of 1936, it is now an ultra-modern 2.842-mile, 13 turn racing circuit and one Adrian Sutil knows quite well.

"Actually it was the first track I ever saw,” said Sutil in an interview this week. “When I was 12 we went to Aachen, where some of my family lives, and we passed through Hockenheim. It was right when I was starting in karting. I asked my mother to stop there, and I went up to the stand. I was sitting there watching for half an hour, no cars running, nothing at all! At this time the long straights were still there, going into the forests. I was thinking one time I want to drive here, it's the goal in my life. It was such a special feeling when I was sitting there, just dreaming."

As he grew a bit older and he began to gain experience in various forms of auto racing, Sutil put in many a lap in on the historic German circuit. "I've been there with many different cars and had many races there, so it's really a home race for me. I did Formula Ford, Formula BMW, F3, even the Beetle Cup as a guest starter! So going there in an F1 car will be really nice."

And how has he fared at the 120,000-seat racing venue, home to the famous “Motodrom stadium section”?

"Good success!” he answered declaratively. “I always had some of my strongest races in Hockenheim. I had a few wins there and always when I finished I was on the podium. So I have really good memories. I'm really looking forward to this race, because it's one of my favorite circuits."

At the very beginning of the new millennium, Formula 1 officials mandated that the original 4.2-mile Hockenheim track be shortened to its current configuration of 2.842-miles. Thus the sweeping, high-sped forest section was bulldozed and replaced with young trees. To that end, Sutil explained what a lap around the modern track in a Formula 1 car is like.

"It's a great track. I never drove on the old version, although I did do the short track in 2002. The first corner was still the old one then, but I didn't do the long straights. The new version is a really nice circuit. The first corner is a really challenging and quick corner, and then you have the long straight down to the tight hairpin, which is really slow, but good for overtaking.

"Then you come into the best sector on the track, into the stadium,” he continued. “It's a nice right-hander and you can feel the atmosphere, you can feel the people sitting there. The double right-hander onto the start/finish line is a special corner, really difficult. I think if you have lots of experience on this track you can gain a little bit at this corner. Now, having driven it in an F1 car it's even more impressive. It's so quick, it's amazing."

Although yet to score a Grand Prix point in the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship, Sutil is pleased with the team, his car and his overall performance as a driver. "Actually over the last few races, from my performance point of view, I can be quite happy. I've just been very unlucky! Monaco was very unlucky for sure, and also before that we had some good first laps, and then had mechanical problems. We've had too many zero scores in the first nine races. I think only three times I've seen the checkered flag, and it's not enough.”

Eric Johnson