Ralf Schumacher believes that the chances of bringing young German talent into Formula 1 have fallen dramatically due to the decline of German single-seater racing series. The German-colored Formula 3 Euro Series ran until the end of 2012, at the time a firm cornerstone of the DTM supporting program, and until the end of 2007 there was a Formula BMW Germany as an entry-level series. Both no longer exist in this form today.
Instead, Formula 3 was internationalized by the FIA and integrated into a consistent Formula 1 substructure, with international Formula 3 and also Formula 2. A shot that, at least from a German perspective, “completely backfired,” as Schumacher now says in one Interview on the Formula1.de YouTube channel criticized.
“All these international stars, Lewis Hamilton and everyone else, they all came through Germany somehow,” remembers Schumacher. Just looking at the Euroseries champions shows how important the championship was: Lewis Hamilton in 2005, Paul di Resta in 2006, Romain Grosjean in 2007, Nico Hülkenberg in 2008, Jules Bianchi in 2009, to name just a few examples.
There are also other German and German-speaking talents who have had great careers in international motorsport through the Euroseries, such as Sebastian Vettel, Adrian Sutil, Pascal Wehrlein, Sebastien Buemi from Switzerland and Christian Klien from Austria.
Ralf Schumacher: Formula racing cannot be replaced in Germany
By discontinuing Formula 3 and Formula BMW, Schumacher believes that important platforms have been “missed out” among young German motorsports. GT racing, which still exists today, with the new DTM and also the GT Masters, is “also a great story. But we are talking about formula racing here, and that has been abolished.”
Damage that is irreversible in the short term: “The child fell into the well,” Schumacher regrets. This was caused by the then FIA President Jean Todt, because of ultimately “financially driven interests […]”to bring everything into one hand”. So that Formula 2 and Formula 3 are now carried out with “a certain monopoly position” by Bruno Michel.
The FIA’s basic idea was a positive one: Because the national formula series were finding it increasingly difficult to field decent starting fields, it seemed sensible to bring everything under one roof. The catch: Due to the internationalization and monopolization of the formula series, they have recently become more and more expensive.
Nowadays you can no longer drive Formula 3 competitively for less than a million euros per season – sums that mere mortals cannot afford. For German talents, this means that they “travel to Italy, Spain and sometimes in the Emirates in the winter to drive Formula 4,” analyzes Schumacher.
One reason why he assumes that the young hopefuls Tim Tramnitz and Oliver Goethe, who joined the Red Bull junior team in 2023, will be the last Germans in the foreseeable future who have a realistic chance of driving in Formula 1 soon.
No more Formula 1 dream for David Schumacher
A train that has now worn off for Schumacher’s son David, as the Formula 1 expert and six-time Grand Prix winner is so realistic. Although he was fourth overall in the 2019 Formula Regional European Championship with twice as many points as today’s Alpine junior Sophia Flörsch.
“You also have to be realistic,” he says. “David had his chance. I could now also say: Well, with Charouz back then, now PHM, maybe he didn’t have the best team. He also had one or two respectable successes, but of course he just didn’t have enough at that moment Performance demonstrated.”
“It would be just as unrealistic if I said that my son David will be in Formula 1 at some point. He also doesn’t have the opportunity, doesn’t have the potential, to end up in Formula 1. That’s exactly the same issue. There has to be “You just have to be honest with yourself. We’ve now taken a different direction,” says Schumacher.
German hopes: Tim Tramnitz and Oliver Goethe
He sees Tramnitz and Goethe’s chances of successfully making the next leap towards Formula 1 much better. Joining the Red Bull squad is “an incredible opportunity” for the two of them: “I’m happy that two German drivers have the chance to be supported by Red Bull and that they see the potential in them.”
Tramnitz was “always with the best” wherever he drove, and Schumacher considers him to be a “fairly well-rounded young man who knows exactly what he wants, is focused and has a good environment. He has a sensible one He has a family around him, which is very important. And he just has the potential as a driver.”
“The same applies to Goethe. I think the potential is there. The question is: which team will be there afterwards? Formula 3 is a pretty young, impetuous field. You still have to assert yourself. That’s how it develops from class to class. It remains to be seen whether we will live up to expectations,” Schumacher warns against formula 1 hopes being too early.