F1 will embark on a grueling calendar that will see the sport travel to 22 different countries for 23 race weekends. However, the 23-race calendar failed to incorporate either of the two German circuits – the Nurburgring or the Hockenheimring. However, F1 boss Stefano Domenicali has expressed positivity on the German circuits not missing out for long. The Italian believes their absence will be very short-lived.

Germany has been a regular part of the F1 calendar for a number of years now. If not as the German Grand Prix, it’s been named either as the European, Eifel, or bizarrely enough the Luxembourg Grand Prix. Germany is a vital part of the calendar, and thus, its removal from the 2021 calendar was met with a lot of public uproar.

Stefano Domenicali confident of having a German F1 Grand Prix in the future

In an interview, Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali reiterated how Germany is a fundamental part of the calendar.

He said, “Germany is an important market for us. I can reveal that I recently held talks with those responsible at the Nürburgring and Hockenheim to explore possibilities for a comeback. And I hope that we will find a solution in the coming months.”

The Italian believes that the pandemic will play a part in whether F1 can pull off the longest calendar in history.

He said, “The pandemic is a challenge for everyone and we need to stay flexible. But together with the FIA Formula 1 managed last year to stage a World Championship in what were actually almost impossible conditions. With that, we have laid the foundation for this year, which will be the longest season ever, with 23 races

“It won’t be easy, but all the organizers have signalled to us that they are willing to organize their Grand Prix. Even and especially in crises, people do long for distraction through sport.”

Can the sport pull off this calendar?

F1 will need to be very flexible in how they conduct this long calendar. Different countries will have different regulations in how they welcome foreign visitors. Moreober, vaccination drives have not been conducted uniformly in a lot of countries.

So, how will the sport navigate around that? That remains to be answered.

What will also be an interesting thing to watch is which all venues allow spectators into their premises. Gate receipts are a major economic factor for how the teams will get money to run their teams.

One interesting thing about this calendar is that it is not really set in stone. It has already changed once with the season-opening Australian Grand Prix postponed to later on in the season. If any, then changes to the calendar would mostly take place at the street circuits in the calendar like Baku, Monaco, etc.

So, the 2021 season promises to be a real doozy in terms of scheduling. Let’s hope the current calendar is pulled off without a hitch.