German GP and Hockenheim to fall off the calendar in 2019

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Formula 1 is set to announce its 2019 calendar and the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim will be absent from next year's schedule.

According to Tobi Grüner, Auto Motor und Sport's always well-informed F1 reporter, Hockenheim - which has always struggled to make ends meet financially with Formula 1 - will cede its place to a second race in America, the Miami Grand Prix.

Hockenheim has hosted the German Grand Prix in alternate seasons over that past decade, sharing its slot with the Nurburgring until the latter abandoned its hosting rights for financial reasons.

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The disappearance of the event would deprive Mercedes and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel of a home race, although their presence in the past has failed to attract the large crowds drawn in during the glory days of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

"We are not surprised but of course it's a great pity," Hockenheim boss Georg Seiler told Sport Bild.

"We talked with Liberty Media but made it clear time and time again that we are interested in continuing only if the financial risk is minimised.

"We have not been able to reach a viable model at least for the upcoming season," he added.

Seiler said Hockenheim is now hoping for a comeback in 2020.

"The goal remains a fundamentally changed business model," he said. "To what extent our ideas can be aligned with those of Formula in the future, we will see."

Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey has often insisted in the past that the sport's development in America - with the addition of a second race in Miami - would not be to the detriment of Europe.

"To be clear, it is not at the expense of the sport in Europe – which is the foundation of this sport, the home of this sport and this sport will always be built, as far as I am concerned, on its foundations," said Carey.

It looks like those foundations are about to get a jolt…

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.