Last Updated on July 16 2015, 3:58 pm
Despite the second publication of the draft F1 calendar for 2016 – and this one is official – including the German GP. Lingering doubts remain over the longer term future of the event.
There has been a lot of discussions to why F1 has fallen from favour with the German people. They have celebrated the dominance of their F1 maestro – Michael Schumacher, and then between 2010 and 2013 seen his protégé dominant the sport over four consecutive years.
Austrian, Toto Wolff recently suggested to The Independent it may do the German people good to have a year without a race. Though of course his team Mercedes have no opportunity to race in the homeland of Daimler Benz and score what would almost inevitably be a race win.
In 2014, the Hockenheim race saw just 55,000 spectators attended race day, which compares most unfavourably to Silverstone’s 140,000 less than two weeks ago.
Despite this, Wolff believes the Hockenheim 2016 event, “will happen – 100%,” adding, “there is now nothing in the way.” Wolff is of the opinion that at least for this German GP venue funds to host the race are not an issue
Yet the promoter, Georg Seller told the DPA: “We need a good ‘full house’ next year to prove Formula 1 has a future.”
Further, Seller indicates all is not well in the funding department as he rues, “It is very sad because F1 is an image carrier all over the world. For other countries it is part of their tourism promotion, money comes from other areas and they can stage the races without problems.”
Solving the malaise of F1 in Germany could go some way to forming a strategic plan for promoting F1 better elsewhere. Yet for now, that pot of gold is presumably still at the end of a Leprechauns rainbow.
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