Wolff unhappy with the low number of spectators at Hockenheim
The executive director of Mercedes AMG F1, Toto Wolff, was not satisfied with the low number of spectators who attended Friday's free practice sessions, compared to previous Grand Prix.
After two weekends particularly well-attended by the public on site, in Austria for the return of F1 after 11 years of absence and in England, the first day of the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim circuit was far from being full. This situation upset Toto Wolff, the executive director of Mercedes AMG F1.
« It’s not satisfactory. If you compare Friday at Hockenheim to Friday at Silverstone and Friday in Austria, it’s a different world, » he lamented during the official Friday afternoon press conference.
« We must understand why. I’m not sure we have an exact number for Sunday yet – you know, there are probably many people deciding at the last moment, depending on the weekend – and we need to analyze the phenomenon. If the weekend continues as it is, we need to think about it. »
Such a situation seems surprising even though Sebastian Vettel has won the last four world championship titles and another German driver, Nico Rosberg, is leading the championship and is in a position to be crowned at the end of the year. Moreover, Mercedes is largely dominating the season.
However, Sky Sports notes that the number of spectators at Hockenheim has been steadily declining since the mid-2000s and the end of the Schumacher-Ferrari era. Thus, the figure of 50,000 people was reported for Sunday’s race, half of what it was when the Baron was still red.
Such questioning from Toto Wolff comes in a context that today suggests the German Grand Prix could be permanently hosted at the Nürburgring, which has expressed its desire to host the event for 5 years. Currently, the two circuits alternate in organizing the race.
