'For safety reasons, BMW announced that the car was slowed with hard demonstration tires, maximum ride height, and 275 km/h top speed limited by the transmission. '

this is a dangerous track for F1 cars.

I calculated 6:37 was this lap. You are mesmerized when this car easily has capability of shaving at least a minute. A bone stock 918 Spyder is only 20 sec slower. The man behind that wheel had balls, Nick is coasting her. Id love to see Lewis or Alonso pushing for 1 lap to see what is really possible

Best sound in the world.

Reading the comments, people don't seem to understand that modern formula one cars pushed to the limit in this track will just be high speed coffins... yes this track used to host a grand prix, but cars were slower and higher than today´s cars, and also concern for drivers safety was at the bottom of the list. The road is too bumpy for moderm formula cars... racing in formula one in this track... deaths will come back to the sport.

It didn't look like a serious lap... Looked much more like he was walking in the park. I don't know... I got the impression he early shifted every gear and could have been a whole lot faster in the turns.

On 28 April 2007, Nick Heidfeld drove a BMW Sauber F1.06 Formula One car around the Nordschleife, on a BMW publicity day in combination with a VLN 4h endurance race.[161] For safety reasons, BMW announced that the car was slowed with hard demonstration tires, maximum ride height, and 275 km/h top speed limited by the transmission. Heidfeld drove three laps on the combined Nordschleife and short GP-track, as used in VLN races, with a track length of 24.433 km (so comparison with older records is difficult). The official lap time released by BMW Sauber was declared to be 8:34 (thus ca. 30 seconds slower than the fastest Porsche 996 turbo in VLN). The German press duly reported this lap time, yet criticized BMW. In each lap, Heidfeld slowed down once to pose for a slow video truck, at Schwedenkreuz on the first lap 1, Kesselchen in lap 2, and Döttinger Höhe in the last lap. The two time spans in between the three passes of Heidfeld were clocked by some fans around the track, first Wehrseifen to Wehrseifen in about 7:28, then 7:22 from Klostertal to Klostertal, which is over 50 seconds quicker than the fastest current Porsche 997 GT3 RSR in VLN. This translates to an average of about 200 km/h (120 mph), similar to Bellof's record, but considering the slow GP section, Heidfeld probably was faster on the Nordschleife, close to 6 minutes. Fans who respect the official record of the late Stefan Bellof settle for an "estimated 6:12".[citation needed]

Wonder how all the graffiti affects the grip.

I miss that engine sound :(

Thank you Nick Heidfeld for being the madlad to actually do this risky thing and giving us this incredible footage.

Probably the most beautiful track in the world, wish they would do races on the full track.

I'm just mesmerized by how he manages to get perfect lines in every single corner... I wish i could drive like that.

Fuck safety i want a f1 nordschleife gp

he clealy wasn't pushing the car and himself to the limit

It’s a thing of beauty watching an F1 car on Nurburgring.

I fucking love the old sound

Now some little idiot will comment how Koenigsegg One:1 can lap the ring faster than 2007 F1 cars.

So that's why Heidfeld retired from F1...he had such big balls that he couldn't fit in the car anymore.

the time where f1 cars sounds like f1 cars....

Just to give you an idea how fast these old F1 car could go: "According to formula one F1 Racing magazine of June 2006, BMW engineers had estimated that a BMW-Sauber F1.06 could lap in under 5:15.8[178] which equals to an average of 237 km/h (147 mph)." Source is Wikipedia...

When I was a kid, this sound was sooooooooo mesmerizing to me, F1 cars for me were like spacecraft. That's totally not what F1 is today. The iconic V10 sound will be remembered forever as F1 requiem.

Every time I watch this, I still can't believe how high of a line he takes through Karousel. And yeah, he definitely didn't attack the lap as much as he could have... And with that car on that circuit, he didn't need to. Doing it is enough.

Road & Track magazine reported Heidfeld's lap was a 5:57 or 5:58 (for the Nordschleife only), breaking the track's six-minute barrier for the first time in history.[208] However, their times were done by measuring the speed in some corners, and then calculating a lap time, and not timing a full lap. Heidfeld has since expressed his desire to repeat the experience with less restriction. According to formula one F1 Racing magazine of June 2006, BMW engineers had estimated that a BMW-Sauber F1.06 could lap in under 5:15.8[209] which equals to an average of 237 km/h (147 mph).

the most perfect video cut. entire race, then the most pertinent opinion, the end.

That Sound tenthousend time better than the modern Formular one Cars.

The lap record in this track it's 6.11.13s, and was set by Stefan Bellof in 1983 (20,823 version) .

I wonder why Porsche, Audi or Toyota don´t use their current LMP1 projectiles to beat the Bellofs lap record. They will surely be quicker! They just need to find someone stupid enough to risk his life.

even though this was nothing but a PR video that was neatly cut together (in reality, Nick perfomed several laps, stopped several times on the track to get photographed, was filmed by other cars on the track), this still must have been an incredible experience. The team had the BMW setup as conservatively as the could (Monaco-Aero-Kit and gear ratio, maximum ride height) due to the bumps and jumps, and they had instructed Nick explicitly to "have fun, but don't act stupid". basically, Nick performed these laps more or less with a pulled parking brake. if You take 'only' the old Nordschleife (= leave out the 1983-build Grand Prix circuit) like Stefan Bellof did in 1983 during his 200kph-record lap, Nick probably would have been able to put in a lap time of under five(!) minutes if he had tried to put the hammer down.

Based on the speeds I got up to when I went to the circuit, he is doing well over 100- well over 150, in fact. In this video, he is holding back slightly, but holding back in an F1 car is still ridiculously quick by any standards. He didn't do a full racing lap and had to slow for camera shots, but based on a pieced together lap, Road & Track estimated the time to be 5:57-5:58 for the whole lap. According to F1 Racing Magazine, BMW engineers estimate the full pace to be about 5:15 for the F1 06

He was just in cruise mode, (still incredibly fast but looked like he was a little unsure as to some of the corners, awesome video though very neat drive

Nick is a very underestimated driver in my humble opininon. Always enjoyed watching him in F1. Thank you for uploading the video.

"It was fantastic" No kiddin... I almost had a heart attack watching this

Before I saw this video, I had my doubts that any modern F1 car could be set up for the Nordschleife. I play Gran Turismo with my wheel (=P), and the Nordschleife is one of my favorite tracks. Even though I've never really driven on it and FELT the bumps, the G-forces, or the fear, I've memorized all the turns, and I'm familiar with all those ridiculous elevation changes. Naturally, watching this lap had me on the edge of my seat! Whether he was taking it easy or not, that blew my mind.

This is bad graphics. Is it on PS4?

Not pushing the car at all :(

nothing drives like an F1 beast

It is 33 years or so since the record was set, and from 'respect for the dead' it has become very cool that nobody goes faster. Motor sport doesn't have a whole lot of powerful traditions. It's very nice that it has this one. It's a tradition we can be oddly proud of.

I keep getting the urge to wipe my glasses off.

Nothing is like the sound of a f1 in the morning

I was there, glorious memories. Because you stand right next to the track at the Nordschleife, (in my case between the Brünnchen-corners), you feel the incredible scream of that beast even before you see it. It was right after the VLN race on that day, our eyes were used to the speed of GT3-cars - this car went by and we were only able to comprehend it like in fast forward stop motion. I cannot put it in words. Always will remember it as something truely special, really a once in a lifetime experience. Nick for himself got one of the best, if not THE best F1-experience ever. I can only imagine Sennas flight through Monaco as something comparable. Maybe F1 could realize best lap events with similiar downgraded cars for ten points or so, that'd be a thing of greatness - but never a race, of course. Sadly, nowadays even GT3s have to be downgraded a bit, to garanty save racing

This is what F1 sounds like!!!!

Tells you how fast an F1 is, he basically drove it around at 50% of the pace at most of the track, and still went around faster than any other racecar.

It’s a sign of just how much F1 cars have evolved that it was a huge deal that Niki Lauda could lap the ‘Ring in under 7minutes in a Ferrari in the 1970s, yet Heidfeld is managing it comfortably in a massively nerfed 2007 BMW without really pushing for safety reasons.

I miss that sound. Brilliant. You can here that thing coming from miles away.

This is the real F1 sound.

It's fun how many are crying that he did not push the car and not even 3% of them have never even set foot on that legendary track, let alone sit on a f1 car.

According to F1 Racing magazine of June 2006, BMW engineers had estimated that a BMW-Sauber F1.06 could lap in under 5:15.8, which equals to an average of 237 km/

that sauber is a work of art

I miss the days F1s sounded like this.

Back when F1 was actually fast and they didnt sound like a high revving bulldozer.

This car is SO MUCH faster here than a ZR1 or any other road car. The track length was 24,433 m (15.28 mi) versus 20,600 m (12.14 mi) for most road cars. From Wikipedia: Road & Track magazine reported Heidfeld's lap was a 5 :57 or 5 :58 (for the Nordschleife only), breaking the track's six-minute barrier for the first time in history. However, their times were done by measuring the speed in some corners, and then calculating a lap time, and not timing a full lap. Heidfeld has since expressed his desire to repeat the experience with less restriction. According to formula one F1 Racing magazine of June 2006, BMW engineers had estimated that a BMW-Sauber F1.06 could lap in under 5 :15.8 which equals to an average of 237 km/h (147 mph).

"From start to finish" you were fantastic.

top speed was limited at 270 km/h

i want to see the f2004 with extra soft slicks on the ring :///

The car was on hard tyres, limited speed of 275km/h, and Heidfeld wasn't even trying - However this lap is around 6:40 - 30 seconds off Beloff's record - It tells how fast F1 cars are.

At 154 turns, I don't know how anyone could memorize this track well enough to take it full on. I guess some do, and that's astounding.

It annoyed me how careful he was

Now imagine 6:11,13 Stefan Bellof (R.I.P.) Group C Porsche...

i miss that sound so much, what a wonderful track

my favourite - about 2:16, holds throttle on a right, then boots mid way through.. the acceleration is nuts.

Who is here because it's confirmed for 2020?

I don't think it is even a flat-out lap, but the whole video is already shorter than most of the cars could do on the green hell

Pretty amazing when you consider the track record is a Porsche 918 that did around 6:47 and this F1 car looks like it was driven pretty conservatively by a veteran German F1 driver on a PR lap.

i actually was there this day, you can hear those F1 racing cars from a distance of over 20 km

its a shame they dont race F1 cars here anymore

Wow those downforce!! The car brakes hard whenever he leave the throttle

listen to that engine nice drive nick:)

The on board views are breathtakingly terrifying these drivers are super human

This circuit is for real drivers !!

Scary shit... but dat sound.

It's not just a race track. It's a piece of art.

I think the ride height is why he didn't pushed flat out. The underside of an F1 car is much closer to the ground and the suspension much stiffer than most cars, the bumpy sections of the track could've unsettle the car too much at high speeds so he decided to play it safe

It'd be great to have telemetry on a lap like this.

Maybe if it had proper barriers f1 could actually race here, but then again, it's part of it's charm, being dangerous...

Do most of the people in this comment section know how rough The Ring is? It's a course full of high kerbs and bumps. If he went full throttle he would definitely end up in a wall no matter how soft the tire compound or the suspension setup might be, the smallest bump could upset the rear and send the car straight into a wall or lift the rear end and light up the tires because of lack of grip and end up the same way. A modern F1 car is not meant for this track at all. To me this looks almost as weird as seeing it doing a rally stage.

the best f1 onboard ever

6:49 The world's shortest speech

God I miss that noise.

Nice smooth mature lap.

He drives like a guy who is given an incredible opportunity none of us will ever get. It's not a race or a record attempt. He's honoring and respecting the situation he is in by not gambling with or endangering the integrity of the multimillion dollar car he was intrusted with. That's how amazing stuff happens in real life. People get to do amazing stuff when they show that they are professional and trustworthy. We get to watch it on youtube.

That run was not even close to 6.11'' of Stefan Bellof He was at 6.15 in the straight way before the bridge which is another 18-20sec

Track like this would display the quality of F1 driver. But these Pirellis would be gone after one lap tho.

Bring it back I wanna see f1 on this full track

That is the definition of beauty. I wish they would do this again and film it in proper 4K. They would have to use an older F1 car with a proper engine though. The new farty turbo haybrids are horrible.

F1 cars will beat any lap record on any lap. fastest cars in the world, wish they went back to the V10 days, this new V6 turbo lacks the noise

they should rebuild this somewhere more open.

On 28 April 2007, Nick Heidfeld drove a BMW Sauber F1.06 Formula One car around the Nordschleife, on a BMW publicity day in combination with a VLN 4h endurance race. For safety reasons, BMW announced that the car was slowed with hard demonstration tires, maximum ride height, and 275km/h top speed limited by the transmission. Heidfeld drove three laps on the combined Nordschleife and short GP-track, as used in VLN races, with a track length of 24.4km (comparison with older records is difficult).

Beyond The Grid Podcast sent me here

One small mistake and you gone!

why I do not see same thing with the MOTOGP guys, showing their balls on riding fast in such challenging circuit.

Also, you can tell he's not pushing it. Nurburgring is a rough bumpy goat track compared to a F1 circuit. This is a nice demo. Thanks BMW Sauber for the show!

I was a kid in short pants when my father took me to the Ring. Clark, Rindt, Stewart, Andretti, Gurney, Jim Hall, i got to watch them all race. The Nordschleife is 22.8 km, with a max F1 race distance of 305 km (or 2 hrs) spectators would be able to watch the cars come by for only 13 laps. It would take more than a half dozen of quick response medical teams placed around the track, and many more track marshals (corner captains, communicators, yellow flaggers, blue flaggers, first responders and secondary responders). No doubt it is the greatest and hardest to master purpose build race track on the planet. I have driven on it up to my ability (E9 Schnitzer), but I don't think we'll ever again see a FIA sanctioned F1 event there. If possible at all, it would take several hundred mio to bring the track up to standard, and the Nurburgring GmbH with 126 mio Euro in assets and 400 mio debt went bankrupt in 2012. The track is owned by a Russian oligarch.

0:59 imagine that straight at full speed with modern F1 car...

So im guessing by all the criticism all of you are f1 drivers and all of you can do it better

I agree it is great. I love the sound and the speed and the track is epic.

This Sound is amazing 🤩

The true sound and look of a formula 1 car.

PUTA CIRCUITO, TINHA QUE VOLTAR!!

The F1 drivers in the 60s and 70s were completely insane.(Lauda) These were still real drivers. They had a lot to do on the steering wheel. Sure, today's drivers are much more mentally challenged and also perform a lot, and I think both are good. Can't be compared. It used to be much, much more dangerous. Crazy boys. Then as now ..... cool thing

And f1 driver's from the 70's used to drive it flat with their deathboxes back then. Wow