"Money is secondary": F1 'ready' to bring back Sebastian Vettel's home track on the calendar 

F1 has opened the door for former racing driver Sebastian Vettel's home track to make a return to the race calendar. Specifically, the F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has asserted that the sport was open to talks.

Vettel's home track in Germany is the Hockenheimring, which is located in the Rhine Valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg. The country last hosted a race in 2020 at the Nurburgring (Eifel Grand Prix), and since then, both tracks have been out of the race calendar due to financial problems.

In line with Germany not staging a single race for five years, and the prospect of an event in the future at Hockenheimring, Stefano Domenicali admitted that 'money is secondary at the moment' and that he and F1 were open to having talks regarding a race. Domenicali told Bild, via f1i.com:

"Money is secondary at the moment. First of all it is about knowing with whom we have to talk. We are ready for talks. Germany is Germany and belongs in Formula 1. So if someone has a serious interest he will find a way to contact me."

In 2020, Sebastian Vettel secured a P11 finish in the Eifel Grand Prix that took place at the Nurburgring in Germany. Back then, he drove for the now-Fred Vasseur-led Ferrari Formula 1 team.

Moreover, in the 60-lap event, then-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton triumphed ahead of Max Verstappen (second place) and the former racing driver Daniel Ricciardo (third place).

Sebastian Vettel 'not convinced' with 2026 F1 regulations

While F1 is open to bringing back Germany to the race calendar, the sport's 2026 regulations have not sat well with Sebastian Vettel.

From next year onward, the pinnacle of motorsport will enter a new era with lighter, nimble cars that will run on power units with increased battery power and 100% use of sustainable fuels. The power units will also allow an even split between internal combustion engine and electric power.

During the ongoing 2025 F1 season, several drivers have given their take on the 2026 regulations, and some of them were not fans of them. Sebastian Vettel was asked to give his opinion on the new regulations, as he replied, via Racingnews365:

"I'm not convinced yet. Being able to recover energy is great, but to do that only on the rear axle and completely ignore the front.... I really don't understand that."

The turbo-hybrid era of F1 was dominated by Mercedes (2014 - 2021), and the ongoing ground-effect era was majorly dominated by Red Bull, until McLaren's resurgence this year.

Keeping this in mind and Sebastian Vettel's verdict on the 2026 regulations, it will be fascinating to see which team will set the early pace next year.