Nurburgring admits F1 not returning to Germany

Jun.2 (GMM) The boss of the famous Nurburgring circuit has confirmed that Germany is no closer to returning to Formula 1.

Even with F1 open to safeguarding key European events with a new race rotation scheme, and with Mercedes to be joined on the grid by Audi next year, Toto Wolff thinks a German GP revival is a long way off.

“The mood in Germany as a business location is apparently not sufficient for a Formula 1 race at the moment,” the Mercedes team boss told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

In the wake of Wolff’s comments, the Cologne newspaper Kolner Express got in touch with the boss of the Nurburgring, which last held a F1 race in 2020 as a one-off amid the covid crisis.

“Under the current model, we, as the racetrack operator, would be required to purchase Formula 1 as a racing format and cover the costs through ticket sales,” said managing director Ingo Boder.

“That’s a nearly impossible task,” he added. “All other marketing rights belong to Formula 1.

“In addition, the track’s infrastructure will be blocked for approximately two weeks for setup and dismantling and cannot be used or marketed for any other purpose during this time. For these reasons, the project is not expedient for us as a private company,” Boder explained.

When asked when the last discussions with Formula 1 took place, he admitted: “A good year ago.”