Future of F1 in Germany – Without Schumi, no salvation?

Suddenly, a shrill roar rose through the damp air of Baden-Württemberg. A pleasurable warning shot capable of shaking the bones, piercing hearts and awakening dormant passions. For a moment, the immense stands of Hockenheim sent back the echo of a glorious past.

It was the time of the red stands of pleasure, of crowded campsites which rustled with uncapped beers in the sultry summer and where the smells of würste floated. The crowd then vibrated to the rhythm of the Kaiser's exploits. Michael Schumacher, a normal hero with whom so many Germans could identify.

Last weekend, his heir Mick brought back this blessed period by slipping into the passenger compartment of the Ferrari F2004 with which his father won his 7th and final world crown. The 20-year-old has a well-shaped head and strong shoulders. They are not too much to face the immense expectations that his rise to fame arouses. F1 in his native country, where family heritage can prove to be a double-edged sword as it swallows up media attention.

No caption needed. @SchumacherMick + #F2004 #esseFerrari  #GermanGP  pic.twitter.com/BE5ZuDBfW9

- Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) July 28, 2019

“There is extreme interest in Mick, even though he is only an F2 driver, says Jorn Teske, who will become co-manager of the Hockenheim-Ring on September 1st. We started to become aware of this craze last year when he won the European Championship F3. It was right here and the people were overjoyed; they were screaming and clapping wildly. However, we are only talking about a title in F3. I've never seen that. Mick reminded fans of the good old days and could boost F1's popularity again in a few years. »

Our interlocutor hopes this all the more since the German GP will probably not appear on the calendar next year. How can a nation that saw the birth of the greatest racer in history, won 12 Drivers' titles over the last 25 years, and is home to some of the world's most important automobile manufacturers find itself in such a situation?

Abundance of goods can harm

Teske puts forward the hypothesis of an "F1 overdose" after Schumacher's first retirement at the end of 2006. “The sport received enormous media coverage, specifies the 51-year-old manager. It had become too much. The discipline has gone through a more complicated phase. We had a lot of German drivers on the grid, but the interest was less, both at the circuit and on TV. Sebastian Vettel chained 4 titles with Red Bull, which should have been good news for us, but the perception had changed. I don't know if it's because he was the second German to win the world title or a question of charisma, Michael Schumacher having a special personality. »

A discreet family man, the current Ferrari driver nevertheless embodies values ​​similar to those of his famous predecessor. “Michael was the pioneer, it always generates a lot more attention”, believes Vettel. Toto wolff, main team of Mercedes, draws a parallel with tennis by explaining that the pioneers Boris Becker and Steffi Graf stirred up the crowds in Germany before the enthusiasm around the little yellow ball died down. Veteran with 167 starts, Nico Hulkenberg For his part, he believes that his compatriots have been “very spoiled” with the successes of Schumacher and Vettel. In short, after such feasts, it is difficult not to border on indigestion.

“We are a country of cars, we love our cars and the appetite for racing is still there, however, nuance the pilot Renault. The enthusiasm varies from year to year, but there is a solid base. » The weekend crowds proved him right with copiously packed stands. Teske nevertheless admits a slight drop in attendance compared to 2018 (around 65 people on Sunday compared to 000 last year) which he attributes in part to a much less competitive fight for the title.

“Last year, Seb (Vettel. Editor’s note) was still in contention for the championship before Hockenheim, which boosted ticket sales, He says. This season, apart from a few races, we no longer wonder who will win, but we try to know who will finish 3rd behind the Mercedes. » Paradoxically, the hegemony of a German team would have harmful effects on the ticketing of its national event, for which it has already extended the lease for one season by agreeing to be the title sponsor. At the turn of the millennium, Schumacher's undivided domination did not seem to put off the fans, quite the contrary. How to explain this difference?

“The only team that has the support of an entire country is Ferrari, Wolff responds. The historical factor must be taken into account and we would be very happy to work towards this objective with Mercedes in Germany. But this feeling does not arise overnight. This takes years, even decades. I hope we are laying the foundations that will allow us to generate such traction in twenty years or so. Afterwards, we must remain realistic and accept the fact that aficionados will always support the drivers more than the teams. » Despite its rich history in F1, Mercedes “only” celebrated its 200th Grand Prix last weekend, split between debuts in the 1950s and a return as a manufacturer in 2010.

An archaic sport?

To ensure its sustainability in Germany, F1 has other challenges to overcome. Across the Rhine too, sport must deal with an aging community of admirers and young people for whom motor racing has become borderline anachronistic. “People are focused on green energies and sustainable development, F1 is no longer really in what we call the Zeitgeist, the spirit of the times, a German journalist explained to us. Before, owning a car was a real social marker. Today, young people carpool. » An analysis that Teske shares.

“My friends and I rushed to get our license when we were 17-18, because the car represented an ideal of freedom, agrees the new boss of Hockenheim. Young people don't care anymore. They no longer have this special relationship with automobiles and different brands. I don't work for the marketing department of a major manufacturer, but it's pretty obvious that they are doing everything to find new ways to attract customers, to interact with them. They can no longer just sell cars. F1 fans are getting older. The FOM is trying to attract younger generations with initiatives like e-sport, but this takes time and in the meantime, a generational gap has widened. Afterwards we always come back to the basics: is the sport interesting and spectacular? If these criteria are not met, the best will in the world will not be able to reverse the trend. »

Teske hopes that the intense work carried out around the 2021 regulations will give a beneficial boost to the discipline. By then, Mick Schumacher will probably have completed a second campaign in F2 and will then be on the verge of being promoted to the next level, if the scenario already sewn together does not encounter any hitches. Behind him, few Germanic hopes seem to be emerging on the international scene.

“The Germans are rational people who manage their money intelligently, but promotion formulas have become unaffordable, justifies the native of Heppenheim. Nico (Hülkenberg. Editor's note) and I come from a similar social background and we have been pulling each other's punches ever since. karting. Our careers wouldn't have gone far if they started today because we wouldn't have had the funds. » While waiting for this possible succession, it is Mick who carries the hopes of German renewal... provided that the son of the seven-time world champion then distinguishes himself in the premier category. Otherwise, the blow will die down very quickly according to our various interlocutors.

“It is crucial to give it time to develop, tempers Vettel. Of course, he will be judged like the rest of us, but it would be unfair to evaluate him against others and even more so against his father. » Despite calls for patience from the various tenors of the German scene, Schumi Jr will probably not escape comparisons. Such is the power of the surname Schumacher across the Rhine.