Formula 1 News: Hulkenberg cautious over German GP return

(GMM) Audi F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg (pictured) says he would welcome the return of a German GP, but admits he does not expect Formula 1 to race in his home country in the near future.

Amid the sport’s continued global expansion, Germany remains absent from the calendar – an omission increasingly discussed now that Audi is preparing to enter Formula 1 as a works team.

Speaking at the presentation of Audi’s maiden Formula 1 campaign for 2026 in Berlin, Hulkenberg said talks about a German race are ongoing, but stressed that commercial realities will ultimately decide the issue.

“Absolutely, no question,” the Emmerich-born driver said when asked if he missed having a home grand prix. “I don’t see it happening in the short term, but I know that talks are taking place.”

However, Hulkenberg was keen to distance himself from any suggestion of the need for political lobbying.

“It’s less of a political question,” he said. “It’s about commercial factors that need to be regulated. I have no direct influence over that, so it’s not a top priority for me.

“But of course,” Hulkenberg added, “it would be nice to bring a race back to Germany.”

Formula 1 last raced in Germany in 2020, when the Nurburgring hosted the Eifel Grand Prix amid the covid-affected season.