F1 statistics  BMW WilliamsF1 Team:

91 starts, 10 wins, 16 poles
WilliamsF1 pre-2000 356 starts, 103 wins, 108 poles
BMW pre-2000 97 starts, 9 wins, 15 poles

History and background:

In 2003, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team partnership celebrated one of its greatest triumphs on the Nürburgring, the second of three one-two victories to date, when Ralf Schumacher won ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya. WilliamsF1 had previously claimed two GP wins at the Nürburgring, with Canadian driver Jacques Villeneuve winning in 1996 and 1997.

2005 marks the 35th Formula One Grand Prix to be held on the Nürburgring. On 29th July 1951, the Eifel circuit hosted the German Formula One Grand Prix for the first time. In the late 1950s and early 1970s, the German GP temporarily moved to Berlin’s Avus track and to Hockenheim. Niki Lauda’s horrific accident on 1st August 1976, spelt the demise of the legendary Nordschleife as a Formula One track.

The Nürburgring is one of the venues for BMW’s Driver Training courses. A range of courses, which take in the Nordschleife, are regularly held in the Eifel.

On most days of the year, the public can pay to drive their own car or motorcycle around the Nordschleife.

The new Nürburgring was opened on 12th May 1984. Since then, Formula One has held its European Grand Prix in the Eifel nine times, the Luxembourg GP twice (1997 and 1998) and the German Grand Prix once (1985).

Between 1999 and 2001, the start/finish was modernised and a new pit building and press centre were built. 2002 saw the completion of the Mercedes Arena. This stadium-like section of the course increased the circuit length by some 600 metres.

The Formula BMW ADAC Championship will be holding races seven and eight on the Nürburgring as part of the support programme for the European GP. Formula BMW, which now encompasses four championships (Asia, Britain, the USA and Germany) is contested by teenagers in state-of-the-art single-seaters, powered by 140 bhp BMW engines.