With more than 60 editions behind it, the German Grand Prix said goodbye to Formula 1 at the end of the 2019 season and, for the first time since its arrival on the calendar of the highest category, it has spent more than one season without being present .
During the last years and after reaching an agreement, the event had been held on a rotating basis at the Hockenheimring and Nürburgring circuits, without hiding that one of the main reasons was economic.
However, that partnership also couldn’t handle all that goes into hosting a top-flight grand prix in motorsport, dropping off the calendar in 2007, 2015 and 2017, before doing so permanently at the end of the 2019 season.
Now, with the entry of Porsche and Audi confirmed by the CEO of the Volkswagen Group, two major German brands, everything seems to indicate that the return of the German Grand Prix to the Formula 1 calendar would already be in negotiations for the coming years.
Herbert Diess , CEO of the VW Group , was the one who revealed these plans during a face-to-face event before the press, the same one in which he confirmed the entry of his two premium brands into F1: “I know there are plans to bring back the Great German Calendar Award, which should also revive [interest in] Formula 1 in our country once again.”
Despite this revelation, it should be remembered that the entry of Porsche and Audi to Formula 1 will not take place until 2026, a season in which the category will welcome a new generation of power units, so the most logical for the return of the German GP it would be to wait until a similar date.
Speaking about Germany’s current link with Formula 1, the Volkswagen CEO recalled that at the moment no national driver represents a great motivation, since Sebastian Vettel is in the last years of his career and Mick Schumacher has not yet shown anything, also taking into account that both drive uncompetitive single-seaters.
Due to this, Diess recognized that they will try to bring great German drivers to their teams: “Of course, it can always be the case that a national driver can be very successful in Formula 1 and suddenly the category becomes very popular in that country. Surely we will try to sign German drivers for our two teams”.
