Hockenheim is “in discussions” with Formula 1 regarding a potential return to the German track, but the project remains “largely theoretical” at this stage.
The Hockenheimring’s managing directors Joern Teske and Jochen Nerpel addressed the matter at length in an interview with Motorsport.com sister publication Formel1.de, as the Baden-Wuerttemberg-based circuit launched Motorworld, which it described as “a unique centre that brings together motorsport, retail, workshops, service providers, business, hotels, catering, events and a passion for motoring under one roof”.
The Baden-Wuerttemberg-based circuit first hosted the German Grand Prix in 1970 and was a staple on the F1 calendar from 1977 to 2006 before moving to biannual appearances until 2018, initially alternating with the Nurburgring. A final event was organised in 2019 with backing from Mercedes, but tricky financial conditions made any further races unfeasible.
Nowadays, F1 has a 24-round calendar with a number of potential candidates – including Rwanda, which is set to join in the early 2030s – but Hockenheim is still interested in making the world championship its flagship event.
“Formula 1 is naturally watching very closely what is happening here at the Hockenheimring,” Teske said.
2019 German Grand Prix
Photo by: Andrea Diodato / NurPhoto via Getty Images
“We are in discussions. Formula 1's priority, of course, is that the overall conditions at the Hockenheimring are right. Motorworld is a beautiful building, but it isn't the essential element Formula 1 needs to stage a race. I imagine his focus will be more on whether the overall infrastructure is suitable. That said, the images we released impressed everyone, and I would include [F1 CEO] Stefano Domenicali in that. It is simply a fantastic building, and it symbolises the fact that things really are moving forward at the circuit.”
Nerpel clarified that Hockenheim would need temporary grandstands if it were to host F1 again, in order to go from “just under 60,000 seats” to “close to 100,000”, as well as a larger pit building to accommodate all 11 teams.
But the crux of the issue, as is often the case, is financial. “We often sit here and say, 'Have you seen that pit building in Hungary?'” Nerpel added. “Something like that gets built almost overnight – and I use that phrase deliberately, because those buildings went up in something like six to nine months.
“These are two completely different approaches. When a government or a country shows an interest and says, 'This matters to us' – look at Rwanda, for example, which is now part of the discussion – we sometimes think it is extraordinary how little standing Formula 1 has in Germany, a country famous for its automotive industry, and how little support there is for it. Naturally, we would like much more backing, but the chances of public funding coming from any source are virtually zero, if I may put it that way.”
“There are many issues to resolve first,” Teske confirmed. “Since we have nothing substantial to announce or discuss publicly at this stage, it remains largely theoretical.”
2019 German Grand Prix
Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images
Amid subsiding calendar uncertainty in the context of the Iran war, Teske also clarified that a last-minute, one-off replacement race ‘certainly wouldn’t be worthwhile’ for Hockenheim from a financial standpoint.
“Let me put it this way: if taking on a replacement race opened the door significantly wider to a multi-year contract and a secure Formula 1 future, then it would certainly be an option we would examine very seriously,” Teske said.
“But if it were clear that it would be just a one-off replacement race, with no further prospects, I would personally question whether the effort was worthwhile. Financially, it certainly wouldn't be.
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Fourteen of the current 22 drivers on the F1 grid have raced at the Hockenheimring, with three claiming victories – Fernando Alonso (’05, ’10, ’12), Lewis Hamilton (’06, ’16, ’18) and Max Verstappen (’19). Local hero Michael Schumacher is the record holder, with four wins to his name.
2019 German Grand Prix
Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images