Takuma Sato's lap of Hockenheim.

BAR-Honda driver Takuma Sato describes a lap of Hockenheim - site of this weekend's German Grand Prix...

"You approach the first corner, the Nordkurve, in sixth gear at 300 km/h and then drop down to fifth gear carrying speeds of around 215 km/h through the corner. Next is a short straight, where your speed increases to up to 300 km/h before you reach turn two the Jim Clark curve.

"This corner is a slow right-hander where you carry speeds of around 85 km/h at the apex. On exit the corner opens out a little bit and for the Ostkurve, where you shift into third gear and then go flat out down the back sweeper of a 'straight' to turn six, reaching speeds of over 320 km/h.

"You brake hard and shift down six gears at the end of the straight for the very tight, first gear Ayrton Senna hairpin which you negotiate at about 60 km/h. Good traction is important on exit as you head up to turn seven which you take flat out in sixth gear at 290 km/h.

"Reaching a speed of maybe 300 km/h, you brake quite hard for turn eight since it is a tight 90-degree left-hander which you take in second gear and at just over 90 km/h.

"Turn nine is a relatively gentle left-hander after which you build your speed up and move up into third gear, around 200 km/h before turn ten, which is almost flat at around 290 km/h.

"Next you head into the Agip right-hander that leads back into the stadium. You then approach turn thirteen, the Sachs Curve, in sixth gear at 265 km/h and then move down the gears for this long left-hander to about 100 km/h.

"After turn thirteen you go flat out through the Elf and Opel corners before dropping down to third gear for turn sixteen.

"The final corner is approached at 170 km/h and you need a good exit to set you up for the run onto the start/finish straight..."