Melbourne (dpa) – On the Yarra River in the heart of Melbourne Audi an anchor before its Formula 1 debut as a works team. The German manufacturer is turning a restaurant ship into a fan headquarters during its first Grand Prix weekend. Audi wants to dock its billion-dollar appearance in the Motorsport-The premier class should be remembered forever and bring success. “We have always been ready,” is one of the slogans the racing team uses to promote itself locally.
The regular break in the Formula 1 With new engines and new cars, Audi seemed like the perfect time for the internally controversial entry. Almost the entire industry is groaning and now, of all times, a lot of money should be invested? “The fact that there is a big brand behind it doesn’t mean that everything will work out, but the prerequisites are there to be competitive as quickly as possible,” said Nico Hülkenberg, a regular driver at Audi alongside the Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto and also a rarity.
Hülkenberg impresses Schumacher
Because the German is the last regular driver from a country that was proudly dubbed a car country – although not necessarily a motorsport country – by the now groaning horsepower industry and which has produced world champions in Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg.
Hülkenberg, who was once completely out of Formula 1, “had an impressive career in his own way,” praised Ralf Schumacher, six-time Grand Prix winner and brother of the record world champion, “to always come back and then deliver most of the time. That’s great.”
No German Grand Prix in 2026 either
If Hülkenberg is a stand-up man, then he can Deutschland become a stand-up from a Formula 1 perspective? Because even if there are two German racing teams at the start in Mercedes and Audi, there is at least one German driver in Hülkenberg: The last time there was a Grand Prix in Germany was at the Nürburgring in 2020, but that was only a replacement event due to the corona pandemic. The entry fee in the double-digit million range is too high for the Nürburg and Hockenheimring, and in other countries the state is happy to help out.
In contrast to RTL, the pay-TV provider Sky was able to register growing viewer interest at the end of last season and benefited from the exciting World Cup fight right up to the end. But little remains of the enthusiasm of earlier years, when more than ten million Germans watched the rides on free TV during Michael Schumacher’s time.
15 million euros for the way up
“German motorsport has abolished itself,” said Schumacher, who works as an expert for the TV channel Sky, in a devastating verdict. This started with the go-kart tracks, which were confronted with increased energy costs and stricter environmental protection regulations.
And that’s exactly where the Schumachers weren’t the only ones who learned what was necessary for their advancement. Ralf Schumacher calculated that the journey from the bottom to the top, i.e. to Formula 1, would require around 15 million euros. Who should be able to afford something like that?
Driver and assets
Tim Tramnitz recently said goodbye to his Formula 1 dream. The talent from Hamburg, who was previously supported by Red Bull, ran out of money. The future of the previous Formula 3 driver lies in the GT series at BMW.
“Without the professional and financial support of a manufacturer at an early point in the career, the jump into Formula 1 is hardly possible. The fact that drivers from wealthy backgrounds get into Formula 1 using their private budget is nothing new historically, but it should continue to be the absolute exception,” ADAC sports president Gerd Ennser told the German Press Agency.
“Strategically big mistake”
In addition to the kart tracks, Schumacher made a cardinal mistake. “Unfortunately, Germany made motorsport in Germany irrelevant by selling the Formula 3 naming rights to the FIA many years ago. That was a big strategic mistake,” he criticized. “At that time, all the greats, whether Sebastian Vettel or Lewis Hamilton, went through Formula 3 towards Formula 1. Formula 3 has now been standardized and runs as part of Formula 1; this used to be the case with the DTM.”
So what was supposed to happen? “First, the automobile or motorsport-related companies in particular would have to come together and support sports facilities so that we have go-kart tracks again and become more internationally interesting again,” said Schumacher and called for a new start: “Politics, associations, industry, sponsors and the media would all have to do a reset, unfortunately a lot has gone wrong in the last few years for economic and sometimes ideological reasons or also competence issues.”
How much do major events shine?
From a German perspective, the situation in Formula 1 is “currently not satisfactory,” admitted ADAC sports president Ennser. But in society we see “an affinity for motorsport, especially among younger people, and I am sure that we can create a boom out of it.”
If Germany wants to host a Formula 1 race again, “it needs political awareness of the enormous national and international appeal of large sporting events – and the corresponding support. As part of the bid for the Olympic Games, there seems to be an understanding of the positive effects of such events on society and the economy,” said Ennser, who has years of experience as a Formula 1 race commissioner.
Wanted: role models to emulate
The ADAC’s aim is to “bring industry and politics together to enable the return of the premier class. German drivers who inspire fans and create identification are also crucial for a boom.”
Only Hülkenberg remains in Formula 1, but he is already 38 when he starts in Melbourne. And in Formula 2 there is Oliver Goethe (21, MP Motorsport), son of a German and a Danish mother. The British native only finished 15th in the drivers’ standings in 2025.
Maybe the pilots need to be even more patient. Ennser and his predecessor Hermann Tomczyk, chairman of the ADAC Sports Foundation, point to Devin Titz, who was only eleven years old, as an example. The young kart driver, supported by the ADAC Sports Foundation, was recently accepted into the junior program of the Formula 1 team Mercedes.
Talents in Motorsport Team Germany
Like Goethe, Titz belongs to Motorsport Team Germany, the joint funding program of the ADAC Sports Foundation and the German Motor Sport Federation (DMSB). The greatest talents have the prospect of support from the manufacturers Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and Toyota.
“Our current Motorsport Team Germany squad selection includes extremely talented young karting and Formula 4 athletes whose goal is of course Formula 1, even if the road there is still a long one,” said Tomczyk and, with a view to supporting Titz, said: “If we work together in German motorsport, a lot is possible.” How much actually, only time will tell.
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