Hockenheim F1 return increasingly likely

The last few months have seen a huge increase in speculation about the F1 calendar, both for the remainder of 2026 and the upcoming 2027/28 seasons.

The cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Grand Prix, alongside potential cancellations of Abu Dhabi and Qatar, means that alternative venues are being considered as late replacements.

For the end of 2026, Imola is expected to replace Abu Dhabi as the season finale – with the Italian circuit making arrangements with FOM to prepare a contingency plan.

However, with more uncertainty clouding next year’s schedule (and further calendar slots opening for 2028) there are conversations with multiple circuits behind the scenes.

Hockenheim in talks for comeback

With 24 races on the calendar, Formula 1 has more annual events than ever. Due to the high demand to host Grand Prix, there is no shortage of potential venues competing to earn a slot.

A combination of factors, including investment into modern facilities and a strong financial package, force bidding circuits to tick all the boxes.

Partly because of this, some widely beloved venues have lost their places on the schedule. One of the more popular casualties of this increased calendar competition was Germany’s Hockenheim circuit.

Germany is one of the countries with the most history in Formula 1, from legendary drivers like Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel to winning constructors like Mercedes.

In light of recent calendar discussions, there have been whispers about circuits like Hockenheim making a return to F1. This would be consistent with a wider trend of circuits like Turkey earing comebacks.

Speaking about the future calendar, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali spoke about productive discussions with Hockenheim’s event organisers.

“As I said recently, Hockenheim has made contact with us,” Nextgen-auto quotes him as saying.

“I think Germany now wants us to consider, in the medium term, the possibility of returning to the calendar. Or more importantly, of becoming, as it was 20 years ago, one of the most important markets for Formula 1.

“I think that’s the basis of this discussion. We know very well that the dynamics in Germany aren’t exactly the fastest.

“But the new situation in Germany is definitely starting to evolve in a direction where I see the country potentially becoming a very interesting market in the future, with a positive effect both in terms of media coverage and perhaps also on the developers’ side.

“In this case, it won’t be a short-term decision, but it will certainly happen.”

Competition intensifies

To be clear, Hockenheim’s most likely calendar entry is 2028. There are no available slots for next season, assuming there are no further cancellations to races like Bahrain and Jeddah.

In the event of further cancellations, Malaysia – which will host the Bahrain GP this year – is expected to be ready and waiting as a potential substitute next season.

However, since there are still some questions left unanswered, Hockenheim could hypothetically be called upon as early as next year. Formula 1 has been proactive in finding replacement circuits for this season’s campaign, and doing so for 2027 will be a much easier process.

Regardless, it seems only a matter of time that a historic venue like Hockenheim makes a comeback.

Arguably the bigger focus will be if Germany returns with a permanent calendar slot, or whether it becomes a rotational circuit that features bi-annually – in a similar arrangement to what Spa recently agreed to.