Formula 1 back at the Nürburgring? Not for now…

Will the alternation between circuits and Grand Prix allow for the return of historic tracks in Europe? If the door now seems open, with the first implementation of the alternation for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps from 2027, the Nürburgring circuit does not seem inclined to cross it. Indeed, if the principle of rotation could allow to reduce the costs and could ensure an almost guaranteed filling of the stands on each biannual or triannual meeting, the fact of hosting the Formula 1 would remain a loss-making business according to the circuit located in the Eifel.

If the Nürburgring wants to host Formula 1 in the near future, it must ensure that it can cover the organisational costs (which includes the financial agreement with F1 to secure a place on the calendar) with ticket sales, which is currently not possible according to the circuit management. "For these reasons, the plan is not feasible for us as a private company in this form, said Alexander Gerhard, spokesman for the Nürburgring circuit, from Sky Sports Germany. Since the last discussion, more than a year ago, no further discussions have taken place with the championship organizer.

Hockenheim alone in the running for the German GP?

The Nürburgring GP circuit – created in 1984 to replace the dangerous Nordschleife and return a place on the Formula 1 calendar – hosted 20 Grands Prix between 1984 and 2020, with four different names: German Grand Prix, Luxembourg Grand Prix, European Grand Prix and Eifel Grand Prix. The latter name was used in 2020, when Formula 1 made a surprising return to the Nürburgring to fill a calendar disrupted by the Covid-19 health crisis.

Between 2008 and 2014, the Nürburgring alternated with the Hockenheimring for the organization of the German Grand Prix, the latest example of an alternation between two circuits in the same country. The return of alternating Grand Prix could have suggested a potential return of the German Grand Prix to one of these two circuits: if Hockenheim aims to return to Formula 1 in the coming years, with the arrival of new investors in August 2024, this will therefore not be the case for the Nürburgring which will be content with the races already organised on its soil currently (24H du Nürburgring, DTM, etc.).