Formula 1 could have trouble maintaining German interest without a home driver on the grid next season.
That is the warning from ex-F1 racers Timo Glock and Ralf Schumacher in the wake of Sebastian Vettel announcing his exit from Ferrari at the end of the year.
And should the four-time world champion choose to retire or simply not find a 2021 seat, that would leave F1 German-less for the first time since 1991, after having as many as seven on the grid in late 2010.
"It would be a drama for Formula 1 fans in Germany if there were no German driver at all," Glock, who called Vettel's Ferrari exit a "shock", told Rheinische Post.
"The situation is of course difficult for Sebastian because there are just a few options at the moment to sit in a competitive car.
"If we had no Germans at all, it would also impact TV ratings because you would no longer have a star to report on."
There is still the prospect for two Germans to line up in Australia next year should Mick Schumacher be promoted from F2 and Nico Hulkenberg potentially return at Renault.
However, after years of struggling to keep the German Grand Prix on the calendar and a loss of interest, Ralf Schumacher blames the lack of new talent on poor junior infrastructure.
“There have always been phases in Formula 1 where some countries have been very strong. The Germans had a huge hype, which my brother certainly triggered,” he explained on broadcaster Sport1.
“There was huge interest in Germany, also in terms of marketing, TV and viewers. That’s turned a little bit. We don’t feel that way anymore.
“Even if you can’t tell by the number of drivers, the hype from Lewis Hamilton in England is very strong right now. I could imagine that there is still a lot to come from England.
“But in Germany, all motorsport is struggling," he added.
"I have been talking about a huge problem for eight years. This starts with karting: we hardly have any more tracks, the kart drivers are getting less and less. If I don’t have seedlings, I don’t have any trees at the end of the day and that is what is happening to us now.”
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