Hockenheim boss reacts to bad news: "We have a feeling of annoyance"

Jorn Teske is the director of the Hockenheim circuit and has reacted via F1 insider to the Formula 1 decision that there will be no race at Hockenheim this year. Teske is disappointed but they could not meet the requirements of Formula 1 due to local restrictions around corona.

The calendar of Formula 1 is an important and tricky subject this year. So far there are ten races on the calendar of which we have three behind us. There are at least five more races to go if it is up to FOM but Hockenheim will not be one of them this year. On Thursday it was announced that Formula 1 will not go to Hockenheim this year. This to the disappointment of Teske.

"The decision was taken at very short notice. It is clear that from the very beginning we entered into discussions with a certain determination regarding the economic fundamentals. We did not want to get bogged down in costs because Formula 1 wants to come to us. We are under financial pressure from corona, so we could not afford to give away the circuit for days at a time under the current conditions. But I don't think that was the decisive point",  says the boss of Hockenheim.

Admitting spectators

According to Teske, the Grand Prix will not take place because of local corona legislation. Where the Formula 1 slowly wants to see if the admission of spectators is possible it turns out to be impossible in the federal state on and around Hockenheim because stricter rules apply there than in other places in Germany.

"Especially in recent discussions, the issue of spectators at a Formula 1 race came up again and again. There we had to and have always referred to the current Corona regulation. In this regulation events with many spectators are not possible in Baden-Württemberg. This is not the case in all states. It is impossible to determine whether this regulation will change quickly."

Disappointment

Teske doesn't blame himself because he has always kept the financial importance of the circuit in mind, and of course he has no influence on the local regulations around corona. But there is also disappointment

"We've been very committed for months. First we talked about August, then September, now October. We always looked at our calendars and said: We can do something there and here. It is clear that now there is a feeling of annoyance on our side. Of course this is disappointing for us. But for us it is important that we remain stable, especially this year. You have to be firm in the negotiations. From an entrepreneurial point of view, we have done nothing wrong," concludes the director.