Formula 1 News: Germany lacks will for Formula 1 race

(GMM) Led by the liberal Social Democratic Party, Germany lacks the will to host a Formula 1 race, according to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

Although the grand prix in neighboring Austria, Wolff’s native country, is promoted by Red Bull, the 52-year-old said the country fully supports the race.

“We are high-tech, we are innovation, and we have the support of countless people,” he told Stuttgarter Zeitung. “At home in Austria, politicians of all stripes support the race because they recognize the added value.”

But it couldn’t be more different in Germany, with Hockenheim and the Nürburgring no longer willing to take all the financial risk of hosting a grand prix.

“I think Germany is still suffering from the hangover from the Schumacher years,” he said. “But it’s a strange German phenomenon and no one can really explain it.”

Indeed, while Michael Schumacher created a frenzy of German excitement about Formula 1, Wolff noted that other “great German drivers” like Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel failed to emulate the Schumacher effect.

The result, today, is that a historic F1 host nation like Germany is totally absent from the sport today.

“To get the right return on investment, you first need someone to invest,” said Wolff. “I ask myself – are the political and economic conditions in Germany such that you want to invest in a grand prix?”