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The German motor sport community is lamenting the absence of drivers from the country who are capable of fighting for the Formula One world championship.
Returning Nico Hülkenberg is the only German driver in the 2023 field as Mick Schumacher must be content with a reserve role.
Schumacher’s father, Michael Schumacher, ignited an F1 boom in Germany almost 30 years ago en route to seven world titles, and Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg also lifted the trophy.
“It is a shame for a country that with Michel Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg churned out world champions and with 12 titles was and remains by far the most successful Formula One nation in the world and remains so to this day, now is not even providing a single championship candidate,” former Mercedes team official Norbert Haug told dpa.
“This is especially about young Formula talent,” he said.
Germany also no longer has a grand prix and a look at the junior series is not promising either, with possibly no German in F2 and F3.
Youngsters like David Beckmann and David Schumacher, the son of Michael’s brother Ralf, have competed in lower series but can effectively not afford moving into better teams and up.
“Formula racing is no longer financially viable, you can hardly find sponsors. In my eyes, it has become practically impossible,” David Schumacher once told the Bild am Sonntag paper.
Vettel’s father, Norbert Vettel, said at the end of the past F1 season that the dilemma starts right at the bottom of the pyramid.
“In the past 100 children were at the cart track, nowadays it is perhaps 10 or 15. But even if someone sits his child into a cart then are gone as soon as they hear what [financial] figures are needed,” Norbert Vettel said.
Beckmann told dpa there was “too little national support in Germany” and not as much passion as in the past. He said that unless the German automobile companies take over a large part or F1 itself raises funds there is “unfortunately no future in terms of promoting young motorsport talent in Germany.”
A foundation of the German automotive club ADAC and the German Motor Sport Union (DMSB) want to change this and raise funds with the help of German companies involved in motor sport to let young talent profit from them just like Michael Schumacher did many years ago.
“Germany needs new motor sport stars who thrill the fans here and around the world, like Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel did,” ADAC foundation sports chairman Wolfgang Dürheimer told dpa.
