
Formula One returns to the Red Bull Ring this weekend, but while grand prix racing in Austria has produced some intriguing battles in recent years, nearby Germany is left on the outside looking in.

Once the home of two F1 races a year, there is once again none following the Nurburgring's decision not to honour a biennial agreement along with Hockenheim to hold the German Grand Prix due to financial reasons.

It's the latest issue to plague the circuit which has a rich history stretching back to the 1920s.

The famous Nordschleife track at over 14 miles and 160 turns was once described by Sir Jackie Stewart as 'The Green Hell' due to its extremely hazardous layout across the entire seven-minute lap.

Chicanes and later armco barriers installed instead of bushes (as seen here) around the track in the early 1970s did little to ease drivers and as F1 modernised to a commercial audience, the track was left behind in 1976 and will never return to the grand prix fold.

However the track still remains and is open for the public to (at their own risk) speed round the circuit.

Nick Heidfeld and Michael Schumacher have both lapped (albeit cautiously) the old track in Formula One cars for promotional purposes since - with the latter's effort also seeing him start off by touring the modern GP track first.

And it's on the modern track south of the Nordschleife where Schumacher holds the fastest lap following his pole position for Ferrari in 2004.

New or old, the Nurburgring still attracts many visitors as arguably the world's most famous race circuit as Sportsmail looks back at the picture archives.

This picture isn't from an F1 race but it provides a great look at the old Nurburgring's famous 'carousel' corner from 1952. It is a long left handed turn but it is absolutely vital to take the banked section on the inside. Try and pinch too much speed into it though, and a veer to the right into the bushes is almost certain. The corner remains today albeit with barriers

Alberto Ascari (right) was one of Formula One's first truly great drivers in the world championship era and he certainly proved it in 1952 when he achieved a grand slam - pole, fastest lap, and lead every race lap - around the Nurburgring. The Italian is pictured before the event with his arms folded in a pit garage you could describe as very modest compared to today

As Formula One cars increased in their complexity through the 1960s so did the dangers. The Nurburgring is a notoriously bumpy track with vastly contrasting gradients - and one of many reasons why you will never see a modern F1 race on it ever again - as Dan Gurney's Eagle Climax has all four wheels off the ground as he passes the remains of a crashed touring car

What's more petrifying than taking on the Nurburgring? The answer of course is taking on the Nurburgring in wet and foggy conditions. Jacky Ickx was on pole for Ferrari alongside Chris Amon and Jochen Rindt ahead of the 1968 German Grand Prix which despite the appalling conditions was attended by 200,000 people

The star of the show though was Jackie Stewart who despite qualifying sixth in his Matra led every lap in the treacherous conditions on his way to an astonishing winning margin of over four minutes from British compatriot Graham Hill and Rindt

Stewart's win is regarded as one of the finest seen in Formula One as the Scot celebrates on the podium alongside Rindt (left)

It wasn't a complete solo project from Stewart during his Formula One career. The three-time world champion could always count on his 'razor sharp' wife Helen to be his 'professional stopwatch' and record his lap times to the 'millisecond'. Equipped with a pencil, stopwatch and clipboard in hand she looks on from the pitlane during the 1973 German Grand Prix

There isn't much the new and old Nurburgring have in common but they do share share one part of the circuit. The start-finish was the only feature carried over from the original track to the new grand prix circuit that was built in the 1980s. Pictured is the start of the 1974 German Grand Prix as Clay Regazzoni's Ferrari leads the way in front of Jody Scheckter's Tyrrell

By the mid 1970s, Formula One racing around the Nurburgring had become a huge safety concern for the drivers. The remains of a Williams rests trackside during qualifying for the 1975 German Grand Prix following a big crash by Ian Ashley. The Brit suffered broken ankles but worse was to come a year later for Ferrari's Niki Lauda who is seen on track in the background

Lauda crashed into a ball of flames at the 1976 German Grand Prix and suffered horrific injuries including losing most of his right ear and needing reconstructive surgery on his eyelids. The Austrian was extremely fortunate to escape with his life but was incredibly back in his Ferrari just six weeks later to resume his memorable championship battle with James Hunt

Lauda's crash brought an abrupt end to Formula One at the old Nurburgring and led to a new shorter and safer circuit being built at the venue pictured above following its 2002 revamp of the first corner. The design lends itself to linking up with the old track - of which the first few corners you can see in the above picture right at the bottom - that still holds endurance racing

The Nurburgring returned to Formula One in 1984 in its new guise by hosting the European Grand Prix and there was drama immediately as a rookie Ayrton Senna (above) triggered a first corner collision that took out Keke Rosberg, Marc Surer, Gerhard Berger (whose ATS-BMW's nose you can see at the top of the picture) and Piercarlo Ghinzani

The modified track only stuck around for two years before returning once again in 1995 for the European Grand Prix - following minor tweaks to the final chicane. Williams' David Coulthard leads from pole position into the first corner ahead of Michael Schumacher's Benetton but it would be the German who would claim victory on home soil

Schumacher's first corner two years later was a bit busier. He was hit by his brother Ralf after his younger sibling's collision with team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella. Although fortunate not to be hit by the Jordan's wheel, Michael's Ferrari suffered suspension damage putting him out of the Luxembourg Grand Prix - as the Nurburgring race was known in 1997 and 1998

By 1999 the Nurburgring had reverted back to its status as the European Grand Prix and it brought one of the circuit's most famous races. A first corner incident saw Pedro Diniz's Sauber sent into a barrel roll, with the Brazilian fortunate to escape unhurt after his roll bar failed and his car landed upside down. Diniz walks away from the crash as marshalls turn the car over

Mixed conditions and a high attrition rate brought carnage to the race standings which ended with the Stewart team claiming a memorable double podium as race winner Johnny Herbert (left) celebrates along with Rubens Barrichello and Sir Jackie Stewart. It was Herbert's last GP victory and the team's only win before they morphed into Jaguar then later Red Bull

From 2002 the first corner chicane was scrapped and an extended section featuring two long left turns was introduced to aid overtaking. Jaguar's Pedro de la Rosa explores the new track before his 11th place finish that weekend

Renault's Fernando Alonso celebrates the fourth victory in his first championship season of 2005 following a dramatic European Grand Prix. Title rival Kimi Raikkonen led until the final lap when under pressure from the Spaniard and running a flat-spotted tyre, his suspension failed heading into turn one causing his McLaren to spin out of the race

The Nurburgring hosted the European Grand Prix for the final time in 2007 but it's more memorable for producing one of the most chaotic starts to a race. A dry track became soaked within seconds and led to the likes of Lewis Hamilton spinning off the circuit. The big winner was Markus Winkelhock (background) who in his only F1 race in the Spyker gambled by starting on wet tyres and after three laps built an enormous 33-second lead... only for a red flag to then be issued as conditions worsened

Even after changing from slicks to intermediate tyres the cars still couldn't navigate turn one which by the second lap had a river running through it. Hamilton signals for assistance having spun off in the same place as Scott Speed's Toro Rosso (centre), Jenson Button's Honda (7) and Nico Rosberg's Williams

The German Grand Prix returned to the Nurburgring after a 24-year absence in 2009 as it began alternating hosting the event alongside Hockenheim on a biennial basis. Mark Webber won the event for Red Bull - securing his maiden grand prix victory

Webber's luck was out four years later though as the Australian's tyre rolled off on lap nine following a pit-stop before striking a TV cameraman who following the incident in the pit-lane had to be taken to a hospital. Webber's team-mate Sebastian Vettel won the race which to date is the last time the Nurburgring held a Formula One grand prix