Russell and Piastri agree: “We hope to return to the Nürburgring”

A unique story On 14 and 15 April, McLaren and Mercedes took to the track at the Nürburgring (with Oscar Piastri and George Russell respectively) to test the 2027 Pirelli tyres. The tests brought two Formula 1 teams back to the famous German circuit, which has long been excluded from the world championship. Following Niki Lauda’s very serious accident in 1976, the German Grand Prix no longer took place 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 (alternating with Hockenheim from 2009 to 2013), European and Luxembourg GPs, welcomed F1 from the 1980s to 2013, returning only in 2020 for the Eifel GP due to the COVID-19 emergency. 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 return to shopping in Germany, but also at the Nürburgring. It is no coincidence that, interviewed by Sky Sports at the end of the test session, Russell did not hide this particular desire: “I really enjoyed driving this morning, I love the Nürburgring – he declared – I also did a few laps on the Nordschleife, which I really like. It’s a traditional, old school circuit. Yes, I’d like to race here again one day. And obviously, at the moment we don’t have any races in Germany, and with Mercedes, it would probably be better to have one on the calendar”. Piastri also agrees, although he doesn’t define it as his favorite circuit par excellence: “Of course, I wouldn’t mind. It’s not my absolute favorite circuit, but it’s a really special place due to its uniqueness. There are many differences in altitude, and obviously the history of this place is fantastic too. And then, it’s a very old school circuit, which we drivers always appreciate. Even if the layout is different from circuit to circuit, the old school nature of the curbs and escape routes is always more rewarding when you gets the trajectory right. So, it would be nice, but we’ll see.” It remains to be seen how feasible a return of the German GP to the calendar is, at the Nürburgring or at Hockenheim, another historic circuit absent since 2019. After Spa and Barcelona, which recently signed an agreement to host the races on a rotational 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 such as Mercedes and Audi could facilitate the return of Germany to the calendar, all with a maximum number of races on the calendar which must not exceed 24 events.