Lauda: German GP axe "sad" but inevitable
Niki Lauda has described the official demise of Mercedes' home race this year as "sad".
The F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman confirmed reports that the German carmaker made efforts to save the July 19 race, as circuit promoters and Bernie Ecclestone ultimately failed to agree.
"This is just sad," Lauda told the German broadcaster RTL.
However, he refused to blame Ecclestone, even though Mercedes reportedly made an offer to promote the German Grand Prix this year and pay half the financial loss.
"Mercedes tried to help," said Lauda, "but it was not accepted.
"But the conditions are the same everywhere in the world. If there is no promoter in Germany that can do what the other countries manage to do to run a Grand Prix, then this is how it is," he added.
Will it hurt ratings?
Less forgiving is fellow former F1 driver Christian Danner, who said Friday's news from the Geneva meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council was "a slap in the face for all motor sport fans in Germany".
"I find it very unfortunate that there was no institution that could have prevented this," he added.
However, spectator numbers as well as television ratings have been sharply declining within Germany in the past years.
For the 2015 season opener in Melbourne, only 1.8 million Germans tuned in to RTL's free-to-air coverage, compared with 3.1 million exactly a year ago.
The demise of the 2015 German Grand Prix could now hurt ratings even more.
"As the broadcasting network, we are obviously disappointed about this cancellation," said RTL Sport's Manfred Loppe.
"The German Grand Prix was a highlight of the racing calendar for us, so we hope strongly that this is just a one-off."
Share Or Save This Story
The season is still very long - Rosberg
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Who belongs on F1's Mount Rushmore? Pick your four greatest drivers
Niki Lauda's championship-winning Ferrari 312T returns in Austria as son takes wheel
Mercedes welcome Niki Lauda's family at F1 Austrian GP: "A legacy that lives on"
Dissecting the controversial Max Reaves ARCA win at Springfield dirt track
Red Bull impressed by Liam Lawson at Dutch GP: 'He did what he could'
Could qualifying resolve the WRC’s 2027 road order conundrum?
James Vowles calls Williams F1 rebuild his "life's journey"
Lando Norris made his own life difficult again - but his recovery was stunning in Zandvoort's swansong
Why Lando Norris was “surprised” to claim Dutch GP pole position
What we learned from the 2026 F1 Dutch GP sprint race and qualifying
Why Williams problems are worse than previously known
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments