Doubt over German Grand Prix future
Hockenheim is unlikely to be able to host the German Grand Prix in 2010 or beyond, the circuit’s boss Karl-Josef Schmidt has been quoted as saying.
He told Sunday’s Der Tagesspiegel newspaper that the loss-making event will cease to be organised unless the state Baden-Wuerttemberg government pledges financial support.
“Without grants from the state there will be no more formula one in Hockenheim,” said Schmidt.
Earlier this year, a spokesman for the state’s ministry of economic affairs said it is “not the task” of the public to fund events at the Hockenheimring. It is understood the position has not changed.
The Nürburgring, which alternates the hosting of Germany’s annual race date with Hockenheim, is scheduled to stage the 2009 event.
Nürburgring general manager Walter Kafitz responded to the news about Hockenheim by saying the circuit is not in a position to host the Grand Prix every year.
“We can not afford that,” he told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa, admitting that - like Hockenheim - the Nürburgring also loses over a million dollars per grand prix.
Schmidt warned: “Formula one will disappear not just from Hockenheim but from Germany as a whole.
“Then it will only be run in Arab countries.”
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No France, no Canada, no China and now no Germany? What is F1 coming to?
If it turns into “F1 of Arabia” then I doubt I’ll be watching so many races.
You’d think that Bernie would get the hint about how much he charges for a GP.
Soon the European races will be the fly-away races, and the ones in Asia will be the norm…
Thanks, Bernie, for letting your personal greed destroy F1.
Europe is where the core F1 fan base is. So why alienate those fans by cancelling so many great traditional European races. Seems to me the obvious lessons should be learnt by the obvious relative lack of F1 interest in the USA. Pretty soon Europe will be tuning out.
And thus the solution - run a separate F1 ‘Asia’ type series that will include all the other countries who’s governments are desperate to enter F1 and are happy to back the event with unlimited money. But Bernie should be careful as we see China is seemingly loosing interest. Keith - why not debate this idea on a separate blog entry.
I suggest that the teams go ahead and create their own series. I want true “F1″. Prototype cars with cutting edge technologies. And actually, I don’t mind if the cars are a bit slower than today, because I would love to see them race on classic tracks in Europe instead of just ulra-safe and plain boring Tilkedroms in Asia.
I am waiting for the time when the big teams announce they are moving their factories to the Middle or Far East as it is easier to get to most of the circuits……
Thanks Bernie, i really doubt most of us will stay up until 3 am to watch every race in the Orient.
If we have no American, European or African races in a few years will they still be able to call it a World Championship ?
This is all getting silly now, the teams are mainly European, as are the drivers & the fans so why is Europe losing all of its races ?
I’m all for expanding into new parts of the world but there should be a group of classic and/or important races that should always be on the calender:
Monaco
Monza
Spa
Britain (preferably Silverstone)
Canada
USA
Brazil
Germany (either of the current tracks)
Japan (preferably Suzuka)
The above should all have a guaranteed race each season, the other races could then take turns of sharing the remaining races.
My only hope is that Bernie crashes & burns (metaphorically) when the F1 finances finally implode. The best thing would surely be the teams starting their own series without the interference of Bernie & the goons at the FIA.
First, while I respect your opinion Chaz, I very much take issue with your comment about the “obvious relative lack of F1 interest in the USA.” On what grounds do you base that statement on? I remind you that the USGP still drew over 100,000 every year that it was held at Indy- even after the ‘05 debacle that so many people love to throw around- and there are still many fans (myself very much included) who are awaiting an F1 return to our shores- someday. The teams want to be here, the drivers want to be here, everyone except Bernie wants to be here. In a developed nation of over 300 million people, F1- or any other sport- isn’t going to just waltz in and dominate the sporting landscape.
As for Hockenheim, this state of affairs reflects the disgusting business model being utilised by Bernie in his management of the F1 calendar. As far as he is concerned, no one is allowed to come close to profit-making status when it comes to hosting a Grand Prix. No one, that is, except for Formula One Management. We are now facing a situation where 2010 could see no GPs in the United States, Canada, France, Great Britain, and Germany. All members of the G7 group of nations, all major markets for the automakers involved in the sport, all places where the fans turn out in droves……
I don’t know how much more the sport can take of this nonsense.
In my opinion, I am not totally surprised by the news relating to the demise of the Hockenheimring, whos future has been in the balance for years.
It has been widely reported in Germany that the fans turned against the circuit back in 2002, when the track was rebuilt and the long, forest lined straights were done away with. Couple this to the recent retirement of both Schumacher brothers, and the loss of appeal among the masses is not hard to understand.
However, in that last sentence I pretty much summed up why Germany must retain its grands prix. The history of both the Nurburgring and the Hockenheimring is deeply interwined with that of Formula One itself, infact they are two of the most legendary circuits of all.
With the fond memories, there are lose of sadness. Everybody finds Hockenheim an emotional place as the great Jim Clark was killed there, and as with Imola and Aryton Senna, you feel that connection. Afterall, it is the sports heritage.
Disturbingly, we are losing that heritage on almost a daily basis, to circuits that are as berift of history as they are imagination. Faceless circuits where most of the fans have been paid off to attend, and couldn’t care less for Formula One.
As for the United States, or North America in general, Formula One has made one hell of a mistake. Everybody blames the events of 2005 for the sports shortcomings in America, the truth is that Bernie Ecclestone and his band of merrymen are just too damn greedy!
The way this series is going, in ten years time, the only European races will be the two Spanish ones and Monza. Rule number one, NEVER TRUST A USED CAR SALESMAN!
like #1 post said. almost every country cant afford bernies profit making prices. also, dont forget to add to that list No Melbourne too, they almost lost the race but after long talks the gov came through.
i’ll be the same reason why england is now at donnington not silverstone, cant match bernies price demands.
it’s probably why japan alternates too, too damn expensive.
on the upside, bernie is so damn old he’ll have to stop running the show soon enough!
What I’m wondering is how the loss of the German GP will affect the involvement of BMW and Mercedes. I realize they are in F1 for the global exposure, but losing their home GP would surely be a bitter pill to swallow, maybe even to the point of causing them to pull the plug on this whole F1 thing altogether. Maybe I’m being overly worried, but why would Bernie take that risk by pricing the German GP out of existance?
God I hate the way this sport is being managed!
I said it before and I’ll say it again. ROT IN HELL BERNIE!!!!!!!!!!!
Gman - respect appreciated and respect reciprocated. Perhaps I was misunderstood. ‘Relatively low interest’ was meant in the context of poroportionality and or statistically speaking - this is widely acknoledged and accepted in terms of the USA. It is by no means a slight on the devoted F1 fans in the USA of which there are undoubtedly many.
Additionally, common sense tells us its much harder to maintain and indeed increase the fan base of any country if you cancell their GP. I’m all for the F1 going back to USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, etc.