Mercedes insist they won't save German GP again

German GP

Mercedes insist they won't save German GP again

Money, money, money.

Martin Macdonald

Thursday 1 August 2019 15:00

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff claims that the team will not provide a sponsorship injection of funds to save the German Grand Prix in 2020 - like they did for the 2019 edition of the race last weekend.

Before the start of the new season, the German GP was one of a number of iconic races which did not have a confirmed place on the 2020 calendar, with Britain, Spain, Mexico, and Italy all threatened too.

For the most part, finances have been the issue for these races, so much so that Mercedes were asked to supplement the cost of the race in Hockenheim on Sunday. Wolff says it will not be happening again, though.

“[The] deal came up pretty spontaneously,” the Austrian told Autosport.

“We had a meeting on Sunday morning with Chase and Sean, and they said, ‘Would you be able to help us [in] bridging the gap?’

“And in half an hour we bartered out a deal in order to make the German GP happen.

“But this is not something which we are in a position to continue. Also because I believe that we shouldn’t really be interfering in the business of Liberty and F1 – it is up to them to decide which tracks are on or off.”

Vietnam and the Netherlands have already been confirmed as new locations for next year, and although Wolff is encouraged that there is plenty of scope for new races, he hopes the German GP can be retained as it is important to Mercedes.

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“I believe it’s really encouraging that there is lots of interest in hosting a race,” he continued.

“Liberty has the great problem of having more demand than supply, and that is good, and also good for the teams, because fundamentally we share a large part of the prize fund.

“And this is where I would like to leave it, because it’s Chase’s and his team’s call to decide where we go.

“For us the German GP is important, because Daimler is a German company, and there are lots of family and friends in Germany, but we can’t interfere in their business.”