Formula 1 is too expensive for Auto-Nation

Hockenheim

For Sebastian Vettel Hockenheim is "always something very special", Toto Wolff looks forward to the "return home" for his Mercedes team. The grandstands of the German Grand Prix will be as full as they have been since 2006, when Michael Schumacher won his last home win. However, sadness mingles with euphoria: The race this Sunday (15.10 / RTL) threatens to be the farewell performance of Formula 1 in the number one country.

Already it is clear that there will be no Grand Prix of Germany will give. The perspectives beyond are dark. "It's frustrating to see that we have not found a solution for a country with such a racing tradition," said Sean Bratches, the marketing director of Formula 1. "Of course, we are working always on a solution ", we need in particular the" flexibility "of racetracks. For runway operators in Germany, Formula 1 has long been too expensive with a departure tax of around 20 million euros. The hype of the Schumacher era, where expensive tickets were often sold a year earlier, is long gone. The Nürburgring saw in 2015 and 2017 despite a valid contract of a race, the Hockenheimring contract expires with the pivot of the checkered flag Sunday.

After all, the best audience since 2006 (70,000) achieved: Also because of a true Dutch invasion Thanks to Max Verstappen, 67,000 tickets for the race had already been sold on Tuesday, additional stands are needed . However, Hockenheim is on the trajectory of the "black zero".

German roads have not been able to rely on public sector support or aid from the economy to a large extent. But that's exactly what Georg Seiler insists.

"It can not be done to establish rules of the game and pay the bill for others," said the CEO of Hockenheimring. One potential donor Seiler is referring to is Mercedes. Until now, however, the Stuttgart multinational is limited to supporting marketing campaigns – and advertising that money arrows on the race track do.