Qatar GP possible, Rosberg laments German GP uncertainty

[Jordan Adcock]

Qatar's most senior motorsport figure spoke positively about the prospect of a grand prix in his country by 2017, whilst Nico Rosberg warned F1 not to lose its “legendary” German Grand Prix.

The small, natural gas-rich Middle Eastern state has long coveted an F1 race to increase its global exposure, especially after securing the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It has long been suggested that F1 follow MotoGP by racing at the permanent Losail circuit, but it is understood that Bernie Ecclestone granted current hosts Bahrain power of veto over any of their immediate neighbours joining them on the calendar.

It perhaps hasn’t helped that Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit and Qatar’s Losail circuit aren’t very visually distinctive, both surrounded by desert on all sides. Instead the Telegraph mentions a street circuit in capital city Doha might be the solution. The country’s motorsport head and FIA vice-president Nasser bin Khalifa al-Attiyah told AFP that “We are about to sign contracts to organise a Formula One race. We have completed all the steps and there are only a few details before the official signature.”

At the same time, the German Grand Prix could yet drop off this year’s calendar entirely. Rumours of this sort are hardly new ever since financial pressures caused the Hockenheim and Nurburgring to share the single slot, but the Nurburgring recently failed to agree a new deal with Ecclestone, and after a notably mediocre race attendance in 2014 Hockenheim may be struggling to pay F1’s premium hosting fees for 2015.

Nico Rosberg, who won last year’s German Grand Prix and drives for the German Constructor’s Champion Mercedes, spoke to Autosport about his disappointment that his home race’s future wasn’t yet secured. “For as long as I can think there was a German GP and it was legendary, like the British GP - such a fundamental part of the F1 season,” he said. “There are so many motor racing fans in Germany, and Germany also has such a large representation in the sport with me, Sebastian and the other Germans and Mercedes. A big part of F1 is German, so I hope it works out.”

This year's German Grand Prix is currently scheduled for July 19th.

 

[James Early]

Rosberg is right, we can't risk losing all these legendary tracks, It is not like F1 need more money from the middle east, they should just stick with the tracks the spectators enjoy the most.

 

[Philip Heck]

The problem is that visitor numbers indicate people do not enjoy these tracks.

Is what Bernie & Co. are thinking.
That the actual problem are the horrendous prices, that they don't see, of course...

 

[James Early]

Bernie does not notice these prices because, well why would he? He is worth more than the tracks themselves. Have you seen how expensive tickets for Silverstone are? And yet that still attracts lots of people, if they just lower the prices for tickets then they would eventually get more money anyway from a lot more people.

 

[mystaaRS]

Bernie does not notice these prices because, well why would he? He is worth more than the tracks themselves. Have you seen how expensive tickets for Silverstone are? And yet that still attracts lots of people, if they just lower the prices for tickets then they would eventually get more money anyway from a lot more people.

I saw somewhere they were going to reduce the prices to £99

 

[James Early]

I saw somewhere they were going to reduce the prices to £99

Well, it is getting a bit better then!

 

[Darth]

Bring back the old Nurburgring !

 

[John Jorell]

Why have a F1 GP on Qatar when there are races in Bahrain and in Abu Dhabi. Bernie should've thought about it. And with the possiblity of removing the German GP, I'm gonna side here on Nico's because German GP has a rich history of F1 races and if I'm not mistaken, Nurburgring GP and Hockenheimring tracks are well laid out for an F1 race.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Why have a F1 GP on Qatar when there are races in Bahrain and in Abu Dhabi.

Because for the sheikhs of those countries it's all about prestige. It seems that most emirates are into a very childish competition with each other. If one buys a football club the other needs to buy a better one to show he has a larger p.... has more status/money. Same happens now with racing circuits.

Honestly don't mind extra racing circuits on the F1 calendar but it can't be that historical venues are pushed off the calendar to favor more middle east events nobody is passionate about.

But who pays, decides unfortunately.

 

[John Jorell]

Because for the sheikhs of those countries it's all about prestige. It seems that most emirates are into a very childish competition with each other. If one buys a football club the other needs to buy a better one to show he has a larger p.... has more status/money. Same happens now with racing circuits.

Honestly don't mind extra racing circuits on the F1 calendar but it can't be that historical venues are pushed off the calendar to favor more middle east events nobody is passionate about.

But who pays, decides unfortunately.

Wow, even with the nations from Middle East are now competing with each other for prestige. Well, money makes the world go round as everybody says. I can't really argue about it.

 

[Kerkland Bond]

It's probably going to be impossible for me, and many others to even attend the track here in the United States. The tickets to go there are outrageous... and I'm sure people from all over in different states that aren't even close to Texas, would book themselves a flight ticket, and do everything they could to attend the race. That is if the prices for the tickets to attend were lowered. They won't be though... ever. It sucks considering how much I really want F1 to be popular in the states. Although this doesn't really have much to do with what Nico was saying. Which I completely agree with him on it, including many other Grand Prix's in Europe.

 

[Rick18]

It's probably going to be impossible for me, and many others to even attend the track here in the United States. The tickets to go there are outrageous... and I'm sure people from all over in different states that aren't even close to Texas, would book themselves a flight ticket, and do everything they could to attend the race. That is if the prices for the tickets to attend were lowered. They won't be though... ever. It sucks considering how much I really want F1 to be popular in the states. Although this doesn't really have much to do with what Nico was saying. Which I completely agree with him on it, including many other Grand Prix's in Europe.

I drive 6 hours every year for the grand prix, and my main gripe is the ticket prices. If you combine my hotel room price with the gasoline cost for the drive (because I book everything in advance when prices are still low), it still doesn't even come close to the ticket prices for the whole weekend. Not to mention that the closer you get to the race date, the tickets and the nearby hotels jackup the prices to ridiculous amounts. For instance, the first year I went, I saw that a two star hotel was charging $650 a night...$650 A NIGHT!