Formula 1 was once part of the German sporting DNA, but the enthusiasm of earlier years has long since disappeared. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is amazed at the post-Schumacher hangover and questions the political conditions in this country.
For Mercedes Motorsport Director Toto Wolff, Germany “still has a hangover after the Schumacher years” when it comes to Formula 1. In an interview with the “Stuttgarter Zeitung,” the Austrian emphasized: “It’s a strange German phenomenon and no one can really explain it.”
What this means is that, on the one hand, Germany has not been an integral part of the racing calendar of the premier motorsport class for some time, although at times during Michael Schumacher’s heyday there were even two races a year. In addition, Formula 1 has disappeared from free TV this year with the exception of seven races.
“There have always been great German drivers, most recently Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel,” recalled Wolff. But neither Vettel, with his four world championship titles from 2010 to 2013, nor Rosberg as world champion in 2016 were able to ignite the enthusiasm of the Schumacher era.
“In Austria, politicians recognize the added value”
In 2019, a regular Formula 1 race took place at the Hockenheimring for the last time, and the following year the Nürburgring stepped in during the corona pandemic. The last Grand Prix took place in the Eifel in 2013.
“To get the right return on investment, you first need someone to invest. I ask myself: Are the political and economic conditions in Germany such that people want to invest in a Grand Prix?” said Wolff.
Of course, you might think that you don’t necessarily need cars that drive in circles. “But we are high-tech, we are innovation, and we have the support of countless people,” emphasized the Viennese native: “At home in Austria, politicians of all stripes support the race because they recognize the added value.”
The Formula 1 entourage is stopping in Las Vegas this weekend. Max Verstappen can secure his fourth world title in a row in Formula 1 on Sunday (7 a.m., in the WELT sports ticker). After triumphs, the 27-year-old Dutchman would draw level with Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost. Only the two record champions Michael Schumacher and the Brit Lewis Hamilton, who will be racing for Ferrari next year, with seven titles each, as well as the Argentine legend Juan-Manuel Fangio (5) would then be ahead of Verstappen.
The Red Bull star won the Formula 1 comeback in Las Vegas a year ago. A win this year would make any calculation unnecessary. Before the Grand Prix, Verstappen leads by 62 points over Briton Lando Norris from McLaren. Although he could mathematically equalize in the two remaining Grand Prix in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the higher number of race victories would then also speak for Verstappen. WELT ran through the scenarios for Verstappen to win a world championship this weekend.
Verstappen becomes world champion in Las Vegas if…
- … he finishes ahead of Norris.
- … he comes third when Norris takes second place and sets the fastest lap of the race.
- … he comes fourth when Norris finishes third and sets the fastest lap of the race.
- … If he finishes one place behind Norris, he should finish fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth and not set the fastest lap of the race.
- … he doesn’t get into the points and Norris finishes at most ninth and doesn’t manage the fastest lap of the race.
- … Norris doesn’t get past tenth place.
pk with dpa
