JULY 23, 2015

Stuck cannot understand Ecclestone's German GP stance

Hans-Joachim Stuck says he "cannot understand" Bernie Ecclestone having allowed Germany to fall off the 2015 schedule.

Hans-Joachim Stuck says he cannot understand Bernie Ecclestone having allowed Germany to fall off the 2015 schedule.

Just before the forthcoming four-week summer break, F1 found itself in an unscheduled three-week gap between the grands prix at Silverstone and Hungary.

It is because Germany was scratched from the 2015 schedule, as Ecclestone failed to reach agreement with either of the financially-struggling circuits at the Nurburgring or Hockenheim.

Hockenheim is returning to the calendar as scheduled in 2016, but the future of the historic race is once again in grave doubt beyond that.

And German motor racing legend and former driver Stuck, who is president of the governing body DSMB (Deutscher Motor Sport Bund), says he cannot understand how F1 supremo Ecclestone has allowed the situation to occur.

"For me, it is unthinkable not to have a grand prix in Germany," he told the French magazine Auto Hebdo.

"On the one hand, Mr Ecclestone is inflexible with regards to the (race) organisation rights. It's his decision. But I cannot understand it, because a world championship without Germany is not a world championship."

And as for the new uncertainty surrounding a 2017 race in Germany, Stuck added: "We can only hope that a solution will be found this time."

(GMM)