– The last Formula 1 race in Germany took place in 2020 at the Nürburgring. That was six years ago now and was only possible because the coronavirus pandemic completely disrupted the calendar of the premier class at that time.
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For expert Ralf Schumacher, it would indeed be “a big wish” for Formula 1 to race in Germany again soon. “The problem is just that Formula 1 then also has to make financial compromises,” he explains in the podcast Backstage Boxengasse by Sky.
Schumacher is sure that both the Nürburgring and the Hockenheimring, where Formula 1 last visited in 2019, “work” as Grand Prix venues. However, financially they cannot compete with other race tracks.
“There are always other countries, race tracks, that offer much, much more money,” explains Schumacher. Races in countries like Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, or Azerbaijan, for example, are generously funded by their respective governments.
Therefore, Schumacher sees “especially politics” as responsible for bringing Formula 1 back to Germany, because the tracks alone “do not even have 30 million to host a Formula 1 race,” when on the other hand the revenue from ticket sales is significantly lower.
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“You just have to accept that,” says Schumacher, who refers to the example of Zandvoort. Although Formula 1 is booming in the Netherlands thanks to Max Verstappen, the Grand Prix there will be on the calendar for the last time in 2026 for now, “because they [financially] can’t manage it anymore either.”
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Hülkenberg as the (last) flagship for a Grand Prix?
Schumacher also believes that besides politics, Audi and Mercedes should advocate for a home race. Because if there are two German manufacturers with a factory team in the premier class, “there should definitely be a German Grand Prix,” says Schumacher.
Especially for Audi, this would make sense in his opinion, “at least as long as Nico Hülkenberg is still racing,” explains the expert. Hülkenberg is currently the only German driver on the grid but will turn 39 this year and thus will not race in Formula 1 forever.
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According to Schumacher, this is another problem for Germany as a Formula 1 location, because after Hülkenberg it will “in the medium term be rather a bit difficult” to see another German driver in the premier class again.
Although in 2026 a driver with a German license, Oliver Goethe, will start in Formula 2, the 21-year-old lost his place in the Red Bull junior team at the end of last year and is likely to have only limited chances to make the jump to Formula 1.
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In Formula 3, there is not a single German driver this year, and in the Formula Regional European Championship, no driver from Germany will start in 2026. At least the season finale will take place in Hockenheim in September …
