“Formula 1 in Germany is a tragedy to shame others”
Mercedes re-entered Formula 1 under the leadership of Norbert Haug
Source: dpa/Christoph Schmidt
As head of motorsport at Mercedes, Norbert Haug experienced and helped shape the heyday of Formula 1 in Germany. The 70-year-old observes developments in this country with great concern. In doing so, he doesn’t mince his words.
Sebastian Vettel has retired after four world championship titles, Mick Schumacher is only a substitute driver at Mercedes, and there will be no races in Germany in the coming season either – Formula 1 is expanding worldwide, only in Germany is it in a deep crisis.
Former Mercedes Motorsport Director Norbert Haug has sharply criticized the state of Formula 1 in this country. “In Germany, it has turned into a tragedy that every motorsport enthusiast can only be ashamed of,” wrote the former Formula 1 official in a column for the editorial network Germany.
Haug recalled the successes from the mid-1990s to 2016 with German world champions “like on an assembly line”. In addition to the races on the Hockenheim and the Nürburgring, both tracks were driven at times per year. The 70-year-old also recalled the once high number of German drivers in the premier motorsport class: in 2010 there were a total of seven.
Haug is hoping for a Formula 1 comeback in Germany
As of 2023 there will be no German race again, the only regular German driver will be Nico Hülkenberg. The 35-year-old will celebrate his comeback. He got the cockpit instead of the 23-year-old Mick Schumacher at the US team Haas. Mick Schumacher will only be there as a reserve driver, after all with the former industry leader Mercedes. Like Ralf Schumacher, Haug sees this as an opportunity for Schumacher: “In my opinion, this is indeed a stroke of luck for Mick, and Mercedes would do well to sign a German driver into its Formula 1 team.”
Haug hopes for a comeback of Formula 1 in Germany: “Audi, who will come into Formula 1 in 2026, Mercedes, the ADAC, the AvD, German sponsors and all so-called stakeholders should spit on their hands.”
