Vettel the favorite in Sunday's German Grand Prix

Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. ET on CNBC and it will be the German Grand Prix.When you think of this race one thing comes to mind. It is run on one of racing most famous courses the Nurburgring which offers many challenges.

It is a medium speed track with the cars will average around 130 m.ph. as they move around the course each lap. The four long straights require good top end power but the high speed is however balanced out by a mix of low speed corners, such as turns 1 and the chicane where the cars will run between about 110 m.p.h As a result the engine has to be driveable through the lower revs but also offer responsiveness and strong power.

Another factor that  needs to be consider is the high altitude of the track.

 The circuit is set in the Eifel mountains, and has an average of around 2296 feet above sea level. The quantity of oxygen in the air is therefore less and atmospheric pressure is also lower so the engines will be slightly less powerful than at sea level. There is one advantage however in that the demands on the engine are less severe, so we will tend to use an engine on the third race of its life.

Lastly track conditions can change a lot over the weekend at the Nürburgring. Even though the circuit is used frequently by other motorsports series over the year, the fact Formula 1 only visits once every two years means that grip is initially very low.

So with this information who will stand atop the podium on Sunday?

Well I like team Red Bull and the Renault powered car of Sebastian Vettel, not really going out on the limb but he has both the car and the team to win here. Meanwhile, he will get some strong competition from his partner Mark Webber another crafty driver.

Two guys that can never be ruled out are Lewis Hamilton of the powerful team Mercedes and the always interesting team Ferrari car driven by Fernando Alonso. Plus there is always the Renault powered team Lotus car piloted by Kimi Raikkonen worthy of consideration.   

In the end look for a Vettel, Hamilton and Alonso when the checked flag puts an end to the Sunday’s 2013 German Grand Prix.

Time to take a lap around the Nurburgring -