Nurburgring still has shot at German GP in 2013
"It should be the Nurburgring and we are trying to make it happen," Ecclestone is quoted as saying by Reuters, ruling out the possibility of Hockenheim hosting the event. "I'm talking with them today."
Meanwhile, a Nurburgring spokeswoman explained to GPUpdate.net on Tuesday afternoon that the circuit is awaiting a response to its latest proposition.
"The German Grand Prix is not confirmed yet," the spokeswoman told GPUpdate.net. "We are still in talks and we are currently waiting for a response to our proposal."
The 2013 German Grand Prix is scheduled to take place on the weekend of 6-7 July.
12/27/12
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| The Nurburgring |
(GMM) The Nurburgring will host this year's German grand prix as scheduled, a major local newspaper has declared.
The fate of the 2013 race had been in doubt because of the Nurburgring's well-documented financial problems.
But the Bild-Zeitung daily said the German grand prix, as well as GP2 and GP3 support races, will be held at the track in early July, as per the published FIA calendar.
"Formula one will be held at the Nurburgring on July 7, 2013," Nurburgring Automotive GmbH spokesman Karl-Heinz Steinkuhler confirmed.
Sport Bild quotes him adding: "The major sponsors are making their bookings now."
12/24/12 The 2013 German Grand Prix will remain at the Nurburgring. This is according to the Bild newspaper, which claims a final agreement has now been reached between the circuits owners and Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
After the circuit filed for bankruptcy earlier in the year, uncertainty rose over the possibility of a race at the circuit. However, a solution has now been found, with Nurburgring Automotive GmbH (NAG) spokesman Karl-Heinz Steinkuhler stating: "The F1 world has long known that the July 7 race in 2013 will run at the Nurburgring."
Earlier this month, feeder categories GP2 and GP3 confirmed F1-supporting events at the Nürburgring. The Formula 1 deal is expected to be signed in the new year.
12/04/12 This rumor is upgraded to 'strong' today. The mess that has surrounded the Nürburgring is now beginning to be cleared up, following a settlement in recent days between the various parties involved. The Rheinland-Pfalz regional government provided large sums of money to Nurburgring GmbH, a company which it owned, five years ago, with the goal being to increase the earning potential of the venue with the construction of an automobile theme park.
The company was supposed to provide equal investment in the project, but failed to do so, leaving the government in the embarrassing situation of having to pay for the remaining work to avoid an embarrassing scandal. When the estimates for the number of visitor proved to be wildly inaccurate, the whole affair moved into the public domain and the local finance minister Ingolf Deubel had to resign. He was recently put on trial for alleged embezzlement relating to the affair.
In the middle of 2010 the state government decided that it had had enough and handed over the entire business (including the debts) to a new company called Nürburgring Automotive GmbH (NAG), which took over the running of the circuit, the hotels, restaurants, holiday homes, theme park, shops, convention centers and arenas on a lease that was due to run until 2040.
Oddly, the new company was run by the same people who had previously been managing the old company. They raised prices for all activities run at the circuit, causing something of a backlash in the racing community. They failed to pay their lease fees and the Rheinland-Pfalz announced earlier this year that the lease would be terminated. NAG launched a legal action to protect its position.
A settlement has now been found between the two parties with the administrator of Nurburgring GmbH, which owns the circuit, agreeing to allow the tenants to remain in place until the end of 2015, after which the circuit will be put up for sale. A financial settlement has also been found that involves the payment of lease fees and the waiving of some taxes by the state government. This clear the way for Nürburgring Automotive GmbH’s Jorg Lindner and Kai Richter to go back to the negotiating table with Bernie Ecclestone.
In recent years the Ring has paid only $13 million per race, but the money has been spread over two years thanks to the alternation of the German GP with Hockenheim, which means that the Nurburging only had to find $6.5 million a year. The word is that FOM has even offered to run the race for free on the understanding that it takes the revenues of Grand Prix Rheinland-Pfalz GmbH & Co. KG, the company that has been set up to run the race. Nurburgring Automotive GmbH says that in the longer term it intends to bid for the ownership of the circuit, which they believe can make a profit each year with its hotels and restaurants, fairs, conventions and, of course, race meetings. Joe Saward
11/28/12 Liquidators revealed that "an F1 Grand Prix at the financially struggling Nürburgring racetrack is back in the realm of possibilities after private racetrack operator NAG and the bankrupt, state-owned Nurburgring GmbH agreed to a compromise," according to the SID. Liquidator Thomas Schmidt said, "Now the NAG has to reach a contract with [F1 CEO] Bernie Ecclestone. If the NAG is unsuccessful, we will immediately talk with Mr. Ecclestone."
The new compromise allows the NAG to continue negotiations with Ecclestone about an F1 Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in '13. In February, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which owns 90% of the Nürburgring GmbH, early terminated its lease contract with the NAG that was supposed to run until '40. Schmidt said, "Through the compromise, we've established the foundations for a legal and future orientated utilization of the Nurburgring for one or multiple investors." SID
10/30/12 F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "has started negotiations with Hockenheimring officials, but the struggling Nürburgring still has a shot at hosting the 2013 German F1 Grand Prix," according to Dietmar Bruck of the RHEIN ZEITUNG. Pietro Nuvoloni, a spokesperson for the financial recovery experts currently in charge of the Nürburgring racetrack, said, "This possibility isn't off the table."
Nuvoloni described the fact that Ecclestone is also talking to Hockenheimring officials as simply "regular business practice." So far motorsports governing body FIA has only set a date, July 14, for the Grand Prix of Germany. It is still up in the air where the race will be hosted. There have been various rumors that Ecclestone "could move the '13 race to the Hockenheimring due to the ongoing insolvency proceedings of the Nürburgring racetrack."
The negotiations of where the German F1 Grand Prix in '13 will be hosted are reportedly "in the final stretch." Rhein Zeitung