Eifel Grand Prix race preview | In The Pit Lane with Crofty
Sky F1's Crofty brings us the latest exclusive Formula 1 race preview ahead of the Eifel Grand Prix in Germany.
The F1 2020 calendar is about to take several irregular twists and turns in the coming weeks as the next four races all take place at non-typical tracks due to the reshuffled schedule this year.
Sky F1 favourite David Croft chatted exclusively to us ahead of the Eifel Grand Prix for our weekly In The Pit Lane feature, assessing the big storylines leading up to the race.
Crofty discusses Daniel Ricciardo's resurgence at Renault, the future of Sergio Perez, and the perils of an 'old-school' racing track at the Nurburgring in Germany... in October.
Check out what the Sky Sports F1 man has to say below.
Daniel Ricciardo will have no regrets about 2021 move
DC: He's the top points scorer not in a Mercedes car in the last four races. I think he will still be very happy going to McLaren, let's face it McLaren are a very strong, successful team with a Mercedes engine next season.
He's made that decision for a number of reasons and he's got no reason not to be happy with it because he hasn't been in the McLaren car yet obviously.
You want to see drivers of Ricciardo's ability given the chance to make a move on another driver, overtakes, to be contending right at the front and to show what they're really good at.
It's a much better season for Ricciardo this season and he's dominating his team-mate which you would expect from a man of his calibre, not that Ocon's not a decent driver, but Ricciardo is a fine driver.
Sergio Perez unlucky to be racing for future
DC: I'm always impressed with Sergio Perez. He has scored in every race this season that he has started.
He's on a run of 15 consecutive points finishes, he brings the points, he brings the car home and he is a solid, fine driver who is worth his place on the grid as a result of what he's shown consistently, not just this year, but over the years as well.
It's just unfortunate for him that Aston Martin wanted more race-winning experience in their driver line-up.
The Nurburgring track assessment
DC: Fans can expect an old-school circuit, straights into a braking zone, and chances to overtake – DRS should help with that as well. It's a track that, while we haven't been here since 2013, every single one of the drivers has raced here before in F1 or junior categories.
There are some particularly tricky bits with corners where, if you don't get them right, they're going to bite. Turn 1 is one of those, Turn 7 the hairpin at the bottom of the hill, Turn 5 and 6 have gravel traps at the bottom.
Because it's an old-school circuit there's lots of gravel and grass here. If you do go off, you're going to know about it. There's not a load of tarmac run-off areas, and I like to see tracks like that, tracks that need to be respected by drivers.
How to watch the Eifel Grand Prix
The race starts at 1:10pm on Sunday 11th October live on Sky Sports F1.
For full TV details as well as timings of practice, qualifying and the race itself, check out our comprehensive guide to the Eifel Grand Prix.
For the full breakdown of F1 races coming up check out our F1 2020 calendar guide.
If you’re looking for something else to watch check out our TV guide.
Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
