Formula 1 at Hockenheim: talks are on for the first time since 2019

On 6 August 2026 a sentence was spoken that Formula 1 fans had waited seven years to hear. And it was not said at a press conference but on an investor call — which makes it a good deal more valuable.

Stefano Domenicali, head of Formula 1, said this about a possible return to Germany: “It was Hockenheim that connected with us, and they had the first discussion.” So Hockenheim got in touch. And a first conversation has taken place.

That is not an announcement. But it is the first thing since the last race in 2019 that goes beyond “somebody really ought to”.

What was said — and what was not

Keep the two halves apart, because both matter.

The good half: there are talks, they are confirmed by the top of Formula 1 itself, and the circuit made the first move. That Domenicali said it to investors rather than at a fan event is the decisive part — nobody is optimistic out of politeness on an earnings call.

The other half: in the same breath Domenicali called a return “mid-term, not short-term”. There is no date, no contract, no commitment.

And one more thing stands out: the Nürburgring did not feature in his thinking at all. The Eifel circuit is holding back too — its calendar is full, and it does not want a Formula 1 race without a long-term perspective. If Formula 1 returns to Germany, everything today points to Hockenheim.

⚠️ And what to ignore

Since August a wave of social media posts has been circulating with the word “CONFIRMED” and a supposed quote saying it will “definitely happen”. That is a second-hand claim, not something Domenicali said. If you see it: there is no date.

Why the race disappeared in the first place — it was not for lack of fans

This is the part most people misremember. The German Grand Prix did not die of indifference.

In 2018, 71,000 spectators came to Hockenheim — the best figure since 2005. The Motodrom sold out for the first time in over a decade. A year later the race was gone.

The reason appears in no race statistic: a hosting fee of €20 to €30 million, year after year, before a single spectator walks through the gate. Around ninety per cent of the other promoters on the calendar receive public money for that — states that treat a race as national advertising. Hockenheim never had it.

The rebuild that saved the circuit and ruined it

The root goes back further. In 2002 the Hockenheimring was rebuilt at a cost of more than €60 million: the long forest layout disappeared, leaving today's 4.574 kilometres. The rebuild made the circuit fit for Formula 1 — and loaded it with debt.

By 2007 that produced the rotation with the Nürburgring: one race every two years, because neither venue could afford an annual slot. It was a stopgap. And that stopgap is now the reason for hope.

Rotation: the only realistic route — and there is a precedent

Both sides now say the same thing. The Hockenheimring management has put it publicly: a return is only conceivable in rotation with other European venues.

Which is exactly what Formula 1 now does. Barcelona and Spa share the calendar from 2027 — and the slot freed up that way paid for Turkey's return. What works for Istanbul can work for Hockenheim.

The catch, which we will not hide: both slots freed for 2027 are already allocated, and Formula 1 is sticking to its cap of 24 races. A German race can only move up if another venue joins the rotation or a contract expires. That is precisely what Domenicali means by “mid-term”.

Why a race at Hockenheim is something special

If it comes, it comes to a place that exists nowhere else in this form: the Motodrom.

In the last third of the lap the circuit runs into a tight bowl of high grandstands wrapped around the corner sequence. From there you do not watch cars go past, you watch the whole section — braking, turn-in, acceleration — and you hear it twice over between the concrete tiers. Up to 120,000 people fit on the site. That is more than any football stadium in Germany.

Everything else about the circuit is on our Hockenheimring page.

The evenings people still talk about

1992: Nigel Mansell won at Hockenheim in front of 120,000 spectators — numbers no European race reaches today. Then came the era when a German home race was a national holiday: Michael Schumacher, a sea of red caps, sold-out grandstands.

2010: one of the most famous radio messages in Formula 1 history was broadcast here. “Fernando is faster than you” — the instruction to Felipe Massa to let his team mate Alonso through. It was lap 48 of 67; a lap later the positions swapped, and the argument about team orders ran for years.

2019, the last race so far, was wet. Max Verstappen won a Grand Prix in which drivers slid off in droves. And Sebastian Vettel came from twentieth on the grid to second — his home race, in the rain, from the very back. If you want a reason why fans want this race back, that is it.

Until then: these races are within reach

While no German date exists, the next Grand Prix weekend is closer than you might think.

• Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps — a straightforward drive from Brussels, Amsterdam or Cologne, and the very circuit currently demonstrating how rotation works. For travellers from the Benelux, the obvious choice.
• Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg — a short flight from almost anywhere in northern Europe, and one of the best atmospheres on the calendar.
• Turkish Grand Prix — the circuit that made it back onto the calendar. If you want to see what a return looks like, this is it.

We put ticket, hotel and travel together as one package — on a race weekend that is the combination everything else tends to founder on.

Quick answers

Is Formula 1 coming back to Hockenheim?
There are talks, confirmed by Formula 1 itself. There is no date. Domenicali speaks of the mid-term.

Why not the Nürburgring?
The Eifel circuit is holding back, and it does not appear in Formula 1's own statements. Right now Hockenheim is the only one in the conversation.

Why did the race disappear at all?
The hosting fee of €20 to €30 million. Around ninety per cent of other promoters are state-subsidised; Hockenheim was not.

When could it happen?
At the earliest when a slot opens in the 24-race calendar or another venue joins the rotation. Both slots freed for 2027 are already taken.

Can I register my interest now?
Yes. Let us know — as soon as a German date is confirmed, we will contact you before the general sale opens.

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Last updated: 21 August 2026. We update this page as soon as there is anything solid — and we very much hope we will have to rewrite it soon.