Imagine a mother who was the most gorgeous, challenging character of her generation, and a daughter who is merely plain and drab. Thus it is with the "new" Norburgring whenever comparison is made with the "old" track, the infamous Nordschleife (north loop) that lurks like a foreboding yet fascinating shadow behind the venue for tomorrow's European Grand Prix.

While the new track is anodyne (though, thanks to its innovative, revised first corner, now a much better place for overtaking), the old one, all 14.2 majestic miles of it, was the greatest circuit ever devised to test a race driver's mettle.

Jackie Stewart proved himself in this crucible, winning three times, but admitted: "More than ...