The track was fast and dangerous, with several high speed sections passing through dense forests. In 1932, the new Hockenheimer-Dreieck opened its doors with a motorcycle meeting, followed by sports car races two weeks later. When local racing clubs for both cars and motorcycles offered their support, the proposal gained inertia. Mercedes and Auto Union had been exploring the possibility of using forest roads just outside of Hockenheim, about 40 km north of Karlsruhe, as a test track.
The local council rescinded the permit to use the park and forbade any racing there, so the search for a suitable venue began again. Soon the location was a victim of its own popularity large numbers of entrants and spectators were damaging the wilderness area. But fans in southwestern Germany wanted a local track, so they started using access roads in a wilderness area called Wildpark, near Karlsruhe. The new AVUS track had been built just outside of Berlin, and a larger track was under construction at Nürburg, near Koblenz and Bonn. “At Hockenheim, in the country that is home to some of the world’s major motor manufacturers and that has a great Formula 1 tradition, a Ferrari finished first on track, yesterday in the wet and today in the dry.” It was a particularly symbolic win, although more for reasons outside of racing: at a time when the Old Continent was still enduring one of the most critical phases of the economic crisis, winning at the home of the major German car companies in the European nation with the most solid economy was a car built in an Italian factory, designed by a Greek engineer and driven by a Spaniard.In the mid-1920s, racing was becoming quite popular in Germany. President Luca di Montezemolo had every reason to be proud at what was a win that came with no ifs or buts. Having started from pole, the Spaniard defended his position with aplomb, as he came under attack, first from Vettel and then Button, with the help of an F2012 that was on top form. The Hockenheim victory was his third and last of the season, after those in Malaysia and Spain (European GP). On 22nd July 2012, Fernando Alonso won the German Grand Prix.
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