Questions and answers about the German Grand Prix

Hockenheim (SID) What's up? The German Grand Prix will take place at the Hockenheimring on Sunday (15.10:1 p.m./RTL). After a year without a home race for Sebastian Vettel and Nico Hülkenberg, the premier class is coming back to one of its core countries - but for the last time for the time being. The contract between Formula 2019 and the traditional circuit in the Electoral Palatinate is expiring; in XNUMX there will definitely be no race in the country of record world champion Michael Schumacher and constructors' champion Mercedes. Beyond that, things aren't looking good at the moment either. Why is the Formula 1 race in Germany chronically endangered? The Formula 1 management demands signing fees in the double-digit million range. This is not new, but due to declining spectator numbers after the Schumacher hype died down, the Hockenheimring and Nürburgring paid a lot more for the appearances of the premier class in the last decade. The Nürburgring already capitulated in 2015, and Hockenheim also only wants to conclude a new contract under significantly better conditions. Tenor: Formula 1 must not be a risky business. However, Liberty Media's premier leadership points to the value of its brand, and so far there has been no monetary support from the state or the (automotive) industry. In addition, financing is not a problem at other locations. In Russia, Abu Dhabi, Azerbaijan and Bahrain, the government likes to dig deep into its pockets for glossy PR. In some cases there is a signing bonus that is twice as high as in the core market of Europe, where tracks such as Silverstone, Spa and Monza also struggle despite full grandstands and a huge tradition. Will the stands be full at Hockenheim this year? Yes! The low point of 2014, when only 52.000 fans came to the race, has been passed. On Wednesday over 68.000 tickets were sold out and an additional grandstand is being built. It is quite possible that the 70.000 mark will be broken on Sunday - the last time that many were there was in 2006, when Schumacher celebrated his last home victory in a Ferrari. However, Hockenheim had to stretch a lot to get to this number. Young people up to the age of 16 only pay 50 euros for the entire weekend in most price categories. The organizer only makes real money with tickets for adults. Who goes into the weekend as the favorite? As always in this turbulent season, it is difficult to predict. The three top cars Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull are far ahead of the competition, but the differences in quality between them are often marginal and fluctuate depending on the track profile, weather and level of development of the cars. In 2014 and 2016, Hockenheim was clearly in Mercedes hands, but the World Championship leader Vettel, who is still without a win in the Electoral Palatinate, has a car with no real weakness in his Ferrari. Red Bull with the Dutch crowd magnet Max Verstappen should be able to cope best with the winding Motodrom, but have disadvantages in the faster sections. Is there anything else? Yes. World champion Hamilton has finally extended his contract with Mercedes until 2020 as expected. This puts an end to an ongoing topic - and Hamilton stole the show from Vettel in the run-up to his home race. Since the announcement on Thursday, it can also be considered certain that the World Cup fight between red and silver, Hamilton and Vettel (also contracted until 2020) will continue to leave its mark on the premier class over the next two and a half years.

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Questions and answers about the German Grand Prix

This weekend, the traditional German Grand Prix is on the program at the Hockenheimring. Here are answers to the most important questions.

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Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Hockey

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Questions and answers about the German Grand Prix

This weekend, the traditional German Grand Prix is ​​on the program at the Hockenheimring. Here are answers to the most important questions.

Suggestions

Comments (0)

This weekend, the traditional German Grand Prix is on the program at the Hockenheimring. Here are answers to the most important questions.