Official: The 2013 German Grand Prix will take place at the Nürburgring

The wait is over: the Nürburgring has just signed an agreement with Bernie Ecclestone to host the German Grand Prix at its venue in 2013. The race will therefore take place on July 7.

In the final moments of the negotiation, Bernie Ecclestone announced to the press that he had ended the negotiations with the Nürburgring because the financial conditions he desired were not compatible with the payment capacity of the circuit and the region.

However, three days later, the circuit is pleased to announce that it has been able to secure its presence on the 2013 calendar. Thomas Schmidt, the director of Nürburgring GmbH, stated: “I thank Mr. Ecclestone for voting in favor of the Nürburgring. With his commitment to the legendary circuit, he makes an important and significant contribution to the Nürburgring.”

This announcement is anything but a surprise since the GP2 had already released a schedule where the Nürburgring appeared, which is supposed to ensure Germany’s presence on the 2013 calendar in the name of the alternation decided with Hockenheim.

Nevertheless, the balance of power was shifted last weekend during the elections in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Indeed, the outgoing president, Kurt Beck, was a longstanding supporter of the event. Last August, he allowed his state to act as guarantor for a loan of 330 million euros taken out to save the circuit, burdened by the amusement park he created a few years ago. However, Kurt Beck was defeated by Malu Dreyer, the candidate from the SPD-Greens coalition. The latter are obviously against all forms of motorsport, which directly threatened the future of the circuit and therefore its presence on the calendar.

If Germany were not to be on the calendar, it would have created the strange situation of having only three races (Great Britain, Hungary, and Belgium) over the course of three months in the height of summer, when fans are generally most available to attend such events. Already faced with the Turkish government’s refusal to fill the 20th available slot on the calendar, Bernie Ecclestone could not afford to lose another race. He likely softened his stance to allow Sebastian Vettel’s Germany to be present in 2013. He thus stated: “I really like the Nürburgring and its history. Even today, this Grand Prix circuit is very demanding for drivers and teams. I am delighted to have advocated for the Formula 1 race to be held at the Nürburgring to support this historic track.”

In order to boost its cash flow as quickly as possible, the Nürburgring has decided to open ticket sales for its event directly so that spectators can make their reservations as soon as possible.

With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr