Rubens Barrichello, who won the 2000 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, is the latest driver to admit that he still misses the old layout.

"I miss the old things, and as we become older, it seems that everything new in life does not look as good as the old stuff!" said the Brazilian ahead of this weekend's big race, the twelfth on the 2004 calendar.

"The only bad thing about the old track was that, when it rained, the trees in the forest did not let the spray clear and visibility was almost non-existent," he continued, "even though driving down those long straights was fantastic. The new circuit means overtaking is possible and it is a new challenge. A big difference is that in the stadium you now have a lot of downforce whereas before you had none and it was really difficult. It is quite a bit quicker now.

"My win here in 2000 still means something to me," he added, "and it's a fantastic feeling, as although the circuit might be completely different, it is still the same place.

"I'm eager to do as well as I can," he admitted. "I am very relaxed at the moment as generally the last few, since Nurburgring in fact, have been quite good for me. There might have been a little something lacking for me to actually win races, but the possibilities for victory are always there and I think it will be the same situation this weekend."