F1 open to German GP return ‘if someone has a serious interest’

Formula 1 chief executive boss Stefano Domenicali has opened the door for the German GP to make its long-awaited return to the calendar, declaring he is “ready for talks” with potential promoters to revive one of the sport’s most historic races.

Germany last hosted a world championship event in 2020, when the Nürburgring was drafted in as the Eifel Grand Prix during the COVID-disrupted season. Prior to that, the country was a regular fixture through alternating deals between Hockenheim and the Nürburgring – but both circuits fell off the schedule due to financial pressures.

Germany has long been a motorsport powerhouse. It staged its first world championship race in 1951 and was at one point so popular that it hosted two rounds a year, with Hockenheim taking the German GP while the Nürburgring staged the European GP between 2008 and 2014.

The country also boasts a glittering legacy of drivers, from seven-time champion Michael Schumacher to four-time title winner Sebastian Vettel, while Mercedes has been a dominant force in modern F1. Audi, meanwhile, is set to join the grid in 2026, further cementing Germany’s role in the sport’s future.

Hockenheim’s Faded Interest

While the Nürburgring is unlikely to host the German GP because of its remote location for attracting fans, Hockenheim circuit director Jorn Teske expressed in 2023 the venue’s interest in welcoming F1 back to the track, preferably on a rotational basis.

"We owe our global fame to the sport and are really doing everything we can to come back," Teske said at the time. “And we know how important the premier class is for a circuit, and also for the region around it.

“We don’t have to make a profit, but we can’t make a loss either," he said, mindful of the financial side of any return. “Formula 1 must not ruin us so we have to find a way to get [it] back together.

“We are definitely open to organising a race once every two years.”

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But over three years later, Hockenheim’s endeavor appears to have faded into oblivion. And yet, despite F1’s recent push into new markets across the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas, Domenicali stressed that Germany remains strategically important to the sport.

“Money is secondary at the moment. First of all it is about knowing with whom we have to talk. We are ready for talks,” Domenicali told Bild.

“Germany is Germany and belongs in Formula 1. So if someone has a serious interest he will find a way to contact me.”

Calendar Pressure

A German GP revival would need to be balanced against the crowded F1 schedule. Domenicali noted that demand for races is higher than ever, with countries actively lobbying to secure a slot on the calendar.

“Time is pressing. There is a long waiting list of companies and even countries with their prime ministers and kings who are desperate to have a race,” he said.

Whether through Hockenheim, the Nürburgring, or an alternative arrangement, Domenicali’s comments confirm that F1 is willing to bring Germany back – provided a serious promoter steps forward.

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