A unique story
On April 14 and 15, McLaren and Mercedes took to the track at the Nürburgring (respectively with Oscar Piastri and George Russell) to carry out tests of the Pirelli 2027 tires. The tests brought two Formula 1 teams back to the famous German circuit, long excluded from the world championship. Following the very serious accident of Niki Lauda in 1976, the German Grand Prix was no longer held on the famous Nordschleife, but in 1984 the first edition valid for the world championship was held on the Gp-Strecke. The track, home to the German GPs (alternating with Hockenheim from 2009 to 2013), European and Luxembourg GPs, hosted F1 from the 1980s to 2013, with only a return in 2020 for the Eifel GP due to the COVID-19 emergency.
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Russell and Piastri: a shared hope
On more than one occasion, as happened with Hockenheim, the drivers expressed their hope not only to be able to race again in Germany, but also at Nürburgring. Not by chance, interviewed by Sky Sports at the end of the test session, Russell did not hide this particular wish: “I really enjoyed driving this morning, I love the Nürburgring – he said – I also did some laps on the Nordschleife, which I really like. It’s a traditional, old-school circuit. Yes, I would like to race here again one day. And obviously, at the moment we don’t have races in Germany, and with Mercedes, it would probably be better to have one on the calendar.” Agreed also Piastri, who does not define it as his absolute favorite circuit: “Sure, I wouldn’t mind. It’s not my absolute favorite circuit, but it’s a really special place for its uniqueness. There are many elevation changes, and obviously the history of this place is fantastic. And then, it’s a very old school circuit, which we drivers always appreciate. Even though the layout differs from circuit to circuit, the old-school nature of the curbs and run-off areas is always more rewarding when you nail the line. So, it would be nice, but we’ll see.”
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It remains to be seen how feasible a return of the German GP to the calendar is, at Nürburgring or Hockenheim, another historic circuit absent since 2019. After Spa and Barcelona, which recently signed an agreement to host races on a rotating basis, and the return of the Portuguese GP from 2027, the latest rumors focus on a possible return of the Turkish or Indian GP, but the presence of two German teams like Mercedes and Audi could facilitate Germany’s return to the calendar, all with a maximum number of races on the calendar that must not exceed 24 events.
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