German Grand Prix future in doubt…again

Hockenheim's CEO Georg Seiler is unable to say at this stage whether the German Grand Prix will continue after 2018 and "serious discussions" need to take place.

The German Grand Prix is returning alongside the French Grand Prix this season after a one-year absence, but it could soon disappear from the schedule again with no plan currently in place to extend its deal with Liberty.

The Formula 1 owners are actively seeking new destinations and want to tap into bigger markets, making those tracks with short-term deals vulnerable to the axe.

"The contract is over in 2018," Seiler told German outlet MotorsportMagazin.com.

"We’ve met with the new owners and talked, because we have to carry out the 2018 GP. It is well known that there are going to be talks about what the future will look like in the foreseeable future, but no serious discussions have taken place yet.

"In the next few months negotiations must be properly carried out. Unfortunately, I cannot say yet whether things will continue in a positive way. I can only say that we strive to continue to keep Formula 1 in Germany. But there are many factors involved.

"With us it remains that we do not want to take economic risks and will not do so. We do our best, but we cannot guarantee anything."