It’s not been officially announced as far as I’m aware, but this weekend’s round is not the German Grand Prix.
Although it’s the only F1 race in Germany this year it won’t be called the German Grand Prix because the owners of the Hockenheimring also own the legal rights to the name.
Even though they aren’t holding an F1 race this year, and will do next year when the Nurburgring is off the calendar, they are refusing to share the name with the Nurburgring race organisers.
So the ‘European Grand Prix’ it is once again.
That’s a pretty stunning act of narrow-minded, short-sighted idiocy. Even for Formula 1.
In fact I’d go so far as to call it the second dumbest move of the year, just behind taking confidential documents belonging to an Italian team for photocopying in an English reprographics shop…
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Tags: f1 / formula one / formula 1 / grand prix / motor sport
sidepodcast.com
17th July 2007, 1:14
add valencia to the mix and next year it’s gonna be hilarious.
milos
17th July 2007, 3:15
There is still “Luxembourg GP” name available :-)
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
17th July 2007, 7:31
Think a line went missing there – anyway yes, it’s the European Grand Prix.
Robert McKay
17th July 2007, 18:41
Valencia next year is theoretically not a problem, because it can be European GP and Hockenheim the German GP. It would be the year after that would be the killer. But presumably they’ll find a more permanent name for the Valencia race. After all, Moto GP manages to have three Spanish races…
Clive
17th July 2007, 18:49
Oh great. Are we looking at the Gibraltar GP?
Clive
17th July 2007, 18:49
Actually, no – it would more likely be Andorra…
F1Punter
17th July 2007, 18:51
Anywhere were tobacco advertising is still legal? That is why they used to call this race the Luxembourg GP isn’t it?