F1 News: Hockenheim circuit investment improves chances of F1 comeback.
The F1 calendar naturally evolves over time, with circuits losing and regaining their positions on the schedule. The last few years have seen an increase in these changes. Formula 1 is a sport increasingly in demand, with various cities hoping to secure the commercial benefits of hosting a Grand Prix. However, this competition has often been at the expense of more traditional (often extremely popular) venues. Hockenheim is among these.
Five years have passed since Formula 1 visited the German circuit, which became widely popular over time. The most recent Grand Prix in Hockenheim (held in 2019) is widely considered a modern classic.
Although its eventual winner – Max Verstappen – is now regularly on the top step of the podium, his victory in Hockenheim came after a race of attrition.
The year before this, Lewis Hamilton claimed the win in another iconic race at Hockenheim. However, the German GP lost its place on the calendar not for sporting reasons. As is increasingly common in Formula 1, finances were the deciding factor.
In a sport where many venues offer abundant monetary support, holding onto a calendar spot is very complicated.
Organisers at Hockenheimring previously admitted that competing with such financial heavyweights was not sustainable. As recently as last year, the chances of F1 returning to Germany were slim.
Injection of investment into Hockenheim
However, the situation is now very different. Private investors have purchased 75% of the circuit, according to German outlet Schwetzinger Zeitung. These investors are understood to be composed of five separate companies. Over the next ten years, the aim is to invest 250 million euros into the Hockenheim circuit, and hundreds of jobs are expected to follow.
The aim is to renovate the circuit’s infrastructure and make it a viable candidate for the F1 calendar. Even the historic Monza circuit, for example, has been informed by Stefano Domenicali that modern facilities are necessary. History, according to the CEO, is not enough to stay in F1.
Critically for Hockenheim, the majority of existing venues on the schedule have contracts that expire in 2025.
As a result, new-found financial support should put the German venue in a strong position ahead of negotiations for 2026. Although nothing is guaranteed, there is at least hope that Germany will again feature on the yearly schedule.
Stefano Domenicali has floated the idea of rotating tracks on the calendar. Of course, this idea is not set in stone – nor does it make the return of the German GP inevitable. Still, it increases the chances of circuits returning to Formula 1.
