planetf1.com

According to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Bernie Ecclestone has ended negotiations for this year's German Grand Prix to be held at the Nurburgring, claiming that it is "too expensive".

http://www.handelsblatt.com/sport/motorsport/grosse-preis-von-deutschland-ecclestone-ist-das-rennen-auf-dem-nuerburgring-zu-teuer/7693864.html

The race costs too much for either the 'Ring or Hockenheim to host every year so it is supposed to alternate between the two circuits. So if the Eifel Mountains track can't agree terms with Ecclestone, it may mean no German Grand Prix this year.

If this story is true then it doesn't bode well for the BBC as they have this Race is one of their picks that would be live on the BBC, so it could be that in the UK sky has all eighteen live and the BBC only Eight.

Time for Bernie to accept the Portugal and France deals IMO.

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Yep, really needs to accept France at least.

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The BBC would still have 9 live races, Germany is an exclusive Sky race

This is terrible news, will be rubbish with no German race and such a massive gap between races.

you mean this link btw http://www.handelsblatt.com/sport/motor ... 93864.html

and yes... that is massively troublesome

This is bad news. 20 GPs down to 18

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#10

Unfortunately, I don't think there are any deals on the table yet - just suggestions that France and Portugal might be interested in hosting a Grand Prix. Whether they would still be interested and able to pay at the level of fee Bernie would accept is a very different matter. I also wonder if they would be interested in what might be just a one year deal - bearing in mind that Mr E is hoping to have New Jersey and Sochi on the calendar next year.

I think 20 is for sure too many, 19 is about right. 18 is still OK, but any less than that, no.

You know you'd have thought contracts would be signed and agreed long before the season actually begins...they wouldn't let a new team enter at the end of January so why are the races not set in stone?

2013 is starting off as a bit of a faff, frankly!

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Would certainly prefer 20 to 18

Better to have too much than too little where watching F1 is concerned (for us fans)

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#10

Germany is such a big market for f1 with Mercedes and vettel, I can't imagine that there would be no race there.

Ironically it would be good for vettel if there was no race at the nurburgring - it is certainly one of his weaker tracks.

Hmmm, that means 1 GP in June, 1 in July and 1 in August.

For a sport that is primarily a summer activity.

First post of the 2013 season

This means that if we lose Germany, Valencia looks like its going under, melbourne threatens every year to give up, Korea is a goner, Monaco keeps getting a free pass (because Bernie realises we'd mysteriously lose him) and Abu Dhabi is full of riots.

I wouldn't worry about the v6 engines, because at this point I don't know if there's even going to be a full season for 2013!?!?

Yep, and bad for Webber.

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Jo Ramírez

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I can understand hockenheim because that is one of the most boring tracks ever, but the Nurburgring is awesome

Hockenheim however does not have the financial troubles the Nürburgring is facing... they still are not carrying big money bags around still standing better than Nürburgring

One less GP = to one more week of arguing who is the best driver on the forums.

And people still think that Bernie is "The man"...

Here we go again, another track lost because of greed. When does it stop? Even though I don't like Bernie I will admit that without him F1 wouldn't be what it is today but, thanks to the huge amount of $'s that he got CVC to pay for F1 to line his own pockets, they/he has to demand over the top amounts from all the circuits in F1 to pay off their debt. Doesn't seem right to me