"In Germany, F1 has turned into a tragedy" - Ex-Mercedes boss shares bleak outlook after Sebastian Vettel's retirement

Formula 1 has turned into a tragedy in Germany following Sebastian Vettel's departure from the sport, believes German journalist and the former Mercedes F1 vice president Norbert Haug.

With Vettel's retirement and Mick Schumacher getting dumped by Haas, Nico Hulkenberg is the only German driver in F1.

In the 2010s, the F1 grid had as many as seven German drivers in Vettel, Michael Schumacher, Nick Heidfeld, Hulkenberg, Nico Rosberg and Adrian Sutil, among others.

Speaking to RND, Haug termed the current state of F1 in Germany a tragedy. He said:

“In Germany, Formula 1 has turned into a tragedy that every motorsport enthusiast can only be ashamed of. Between 1994 and 2016, there were German world champions like an assembly line, seven titles from Michael Schumacher, four in a row from Sebastian Vettel, and finally the last one to date from Nico Rosberg in 2016. In 2010, there were still seven German Formula 1 drivers in one season. Today, Nico Hulkenberg still has one in what is, at best, a second-rate team, and Mick Schumacher is a promising substitute driver – but at least in the right team."

Haug also touched on the F1 viewing numbers that have seemingly plummeted as compared to the 1990s and 2000s. He said:

"Mercedes, with its partner teams McLaren and Brawn GP with Mika Hakkinen, Lewis Hamilton, and Jenson Button, won four Drivers’ World Championships between 1998 and 2009, the Mercedes factory team was Constructors’ World Champion eight times in a row from 2014 to 2021, winning six World titles with Hamilton and one with Rosberg."

He added:

“For a dozen years, in the late 1990s and 2000s, there were two Formula 1 races a year in Germany, in front of full ranks and over 100,000 spectators. On RTL, 12 million people watched, instead of three million today."

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Norbert Haug touches on the absence of the F1 German GP on the calendar

Norbert Haug also touched on the absence of a German Grand Prix on the Formula 1 calendar and how, despite a boom seen within the sport, there has been a drop in interest in the country.

He said:

"There hasn’t been a German Grand Prix for a long time. A zealous green auto objector could not have developed a less ambitious and less successful German Formula 1 strategy. This specifically excludes the Mercedes works team, which – correctly – operates out of England and has two great English drivers.”

There is some truth to Haug's views, as German motorsports might be looking at a dearth of talent. Besides Mick Schumacher, no one is making his/her way through the ranks. While Mercedes, a German team, continues to thrive within the sport, the next elite German driver doesn't appear to be on the horizon.