Bernie Ecclestone has admitted that there might not be a German GP this year as he has yet to conclude a deal with either Hockenheim or Nurburgring.
The latter was in theory due to host the race this year, while the former has a contract for 2016.
Asked by Sky Sports News if Hockenheim was now on the calendar he said, “Not really,” and having conceded that there might not be a race in Germany at all he joked: “But we’ve got one, it’s called Austria.”
“We would do everything to stop them fading away, but in the end the only reason the race won’t happen is because they can’t afford to run the race.”
Asked why the event struggles he said: “Honestly I don’t know, it surprises me. Maybe it’s a little bit that the German people were very used to and supported Michael and miss Michael when he wasn’t racing any longer.”
However, he did admit that he was talking to the Nurburgring owners today, and it remains to be seen how much of a negotiating ploy his comments to the media are.
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog 