Sebastian Vettel is breaking up, Mick Schumacher still has no contract. There will probably not be a Formula 1 race in 2023 either. The prospects for German motorsport fans are bleak. And once again the single topic of money plays the leading role.
Of course, Mick Schumacher still knows exactly what it was like back then in the heyday of Formula 1. His father Michael was one of the seven German pilots who fought for victories in 2010 and thus set a record. Never again have there been so many drivers from the car nation in the most important racing series in the world. After the resignation of Sebastian Vettel at the end of the season, the 23-year-old Schumacher will probably be the only German in the cockpit next year. A Grand Prix on German soil is also not in sight. From the Formula 1 boom of the 1990s, how did it get this far?
"I take it as a challenge and I'm looking forward to it," said Schumacher about the fact that he will represent Germany as a soloist in the future. The son of the record world champion has not yet signed a new contract with the US racing team Haas, but that should happen in the next few weeks. "Maybe there will be one or the other child who will take me as a role model in the future," said the racing driver.
There were quite a few German role models in Formula 1. Above all, of course, his legendary father Michael Schumacher, but also the last German champion Nico Rosberg and the four-time world champion Vettel, who will end in November after more than 15 years. The big problem: apart from Schumacher Junior, nobody is seriously able to quickly develop a good chance of a place behind the wheel. "I wish there were more Germans coming up from below," said Schumacher.
In the paddock of Budapest, the youngster was asked before the Grand Prix on Sunday (3 p.m. / Sky) why the youngsters were missing. "I've tried to push in the last two years," Schumacher said of his attempts to advance motorsport. A lot fails because of the lack of money, he said. A six-figure sum has to be raised by young drivers to compete in the junior series. No normal person can do that out of nowhere just because they can drive karts well. Schumacher, on the other hand, had a strong financial background and, in addition to his big name, also brought the necessary talent with him.
It is also due to the finances that Formula 1 avoids Germany. Between 2007 and 2014, alternating Grand Prix events were held in Hockenheim and at the Nürburgring, after which it became more difficult. The racing series made a total of 79 guest appearances in Germany. Most recently, the Nürburgring hosted the Eifel Grand Prix in the 2020 Corona season. However, both courses can no longer afford the high entry fees. A Grand Prix cannot be financed without public subsidies or support from the economy, it was said several times by both routes. Since this is currently not possible, it is almost certain that the traditional courses will not be raced in 2023 either.
How can that change? Many hopes are linked to the efforts of Porsche and Audi to enter the premier class for the 2026 season. "I do think that the pressure on Formula 1 will increase, that a race will take place in Germany on a regular basis again," Jorn Teske, Managing Director at the Hockenheimring, told the German Press Agency in May. It is not yet certain that both car manufacturers will get involved and that there will be three German designers in the pit lane alongside the Mercedes racing team, which has been so successful in the past. However, a decision is expected soon.
With a view to the global expansion course, Formula 1 Managing Director Stefano Domenicali has long been talking about the fact that there could be up to 30 grand prix per season in the future - even if the teams are still resisting this mammoth program. The environment in Germany is "very interesting" for the PS series, Domenicali already assured and indirectly named the entry of Porsche and Audi as a driver for a return to the home country of the Schumachers. Since the 1990s, the Formula 1 circus has moved the masses, lured millions of people in front of the television and hundreds of thousands to the local world championship races.
"I would love to race in Germany," said Mick Schumacher. He hasn't been able to do that yet, while the outgoing Vettel has competed seven times at Hockenheim and four times at the Nürburgring. Even the World Cup races elsewhere can currently not be followed by German fans on television without additional costs. Since last year, just four Grand Prix seasons can be seen on free TV on RTL after the Cologne broadcaster decided not to buy the rights package for the entire season. If you want to see Vettel, Schumacher and Co. all year round, you have to pay for pay TV on Sky or for the official Formula 1 stream.
