Qatar's most senior motorsport figure spoke positively about the prospect of a grand prix in his country by 2017, whilst Nico Rosberg warned F1 not to lose its “legendary” German Grand Prix.
The small, natural gas-rich Middle Eastern state has long coveted an F1 race to increase its global exposure, especially after securing the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It has long been suggested that F1 follow MotoGP by racing at the permanent Losail circuit, but it is understood that Bernie Ecclestone granted current hosts Bahrain power of veto over any of their immediate neighbours joining them on the calendar.
It perhaps hasn’t helped that Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit and Qatar’s Losail circuit aren’t very visually distinctive, both surrounded by desert on all sides. Instead the Telegraph mentions a street circuit in capital city Doha might be the solution. The country’s motorsport head and FIA vice-president Nasser bin Khalifa al-Attiyah told AFP that “We are about to sign contracts to organise a Formula One race. We have completed all the steps and there are only a few details before the official signature.”
At the same time, the German Grand Prix could yet drop off this year’s calendar entirely. Rumours of this sort are hardly new ever since financial pressures caused the Hockenheim and Nurburgring to share the single slot, but the Nurburgring recently failed to agree a new deal with Ecclestone, and after a notably mediocre race attendance in 2014 Hockenheim may be struggling to pay F1’s premium hosting fees for 2015.
Nico Rosberg, who won last year’s German Grand Prix and drives for the German Constructor’s Champion Mercedes, spoke to Autosport about his disappointment that his home race’s future wasn’t yet secured. “For as long as I can think there was a German GP and it was legendary, like the British GP - such a fundamental part of the F1 season,” he said. “There are so many motor racing fans in Germany, and Germany also has such a large representation in the sport with me, Sebastian and the other Germans and Mercedes. A big part of F1 is German, so I hope it works out.”
This year's German Grand Prix is currently scheduled for July 19th.