• German Grand Prix

Hockenheim rules out hosting German GP

ESPN Staff
March 17, 2015 « Rosberg invites Vettel to Mercedes debrief | Sauber and Van der Garde end bitter dispute »
Nico Rosberg leads away at the start of the 2014 German Grand Prix © Getty Images
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Hockenheim boss Georg Seiler says the circuit cannot host this year's German Grand Prix due to the short turnaround to sell tickets.

In January F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said Hockenheim would host the Germany race on July 19 having previously alternated the race with the Nurburgring. But circuit boss Georg Seiler says it is impossible for Hockenheim to host this year's race due to short amount of time it had to prepare.

"We wanted to represent the German Gand Prix in Hockenheim despite the fact that we had not been committed to that," Seiler told Bild. "The moment to organise a race here has passed, otherwise the quality of the event would have suffered."

Seiler added there was not enough time to sell tickets and that the circuit would have been unlikely to reach last year's total of 52,000 race day fans. He said attendances had been dropping regularly since the retirement of Michael Schumacher.

It means Formula One faces the prospect of no grand prix in a country home to Mercedes and responsible for nine drivers' championships since 2000. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Nico Hulkenberg are the German drivers on the 2015 grid.

If the German Grand Prix does not go ahead this season's calendar will shrink back to 19 races.

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