Germany to join list of F1 casualties?

Singapore set for a revamp De la Rosa wants F1 race-seat Gillett eager to implement his dream Donington moves a step closer to the British GP Fry confident Honda will find a buyer Teams support Mosley's call for reduced costs Mosley's letter to FOTA Max calls for more cost-cutting September deadline for Donington Park Berger all but confirms Buemi

Monday 1st December 2008

Germany could join the list of F1 casualties with Hockenheim bosses revealing that the circuit has hit financial difficulties.

Circuit boss Karl-Josef Schmidt revealed on Sunday that the future of the German Grand Prix is on the line unless the state can help finance the race.

"Without grants from the state (of Baden-Wuerttemberg) there will be no more Formula One in Hockenheim," Schmidt told the Der Tagesspiegel newspaper.

According to the report, this year's Hockenheim race made a staggering loss of 5.3 million euros, however, the German government is not in favour of taking on the loss.

This means that Hockenheim, which alternates hosting the German GP with the Nurburgring, could lose out permanently to Germany's other F1 race-track.

However, should the Nurburgring also find dwindling spectator numbers putting its race in jeopardy, Germany could go from two races in 2006 to none at all in 2010.

This year alone Formula One lost the Canadian GP after it was revealed that the race organisers did not have the finances needed to pay F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone to host the race.

Your Comments

alternatego

"I was always under the impression that you wanted to host an F1 race coz you could make truck loads of cash from it. It boggles my mind that they earn nothing from TV rights or anything other than ticket sales!! No other sport in the world is like that. Every other stadium earns TV money. And the little poison dwarf still wanted the teams to agree to a 20 race schedule to make more money!! "

spade

"Personally it would seem that the only people that are not getting any money are the people that you cant have a race without. How can you have a race without a track. Something must be done. WE are going to be down to a ten race season soon I guess that is one way to cut costs"