F1 date clash for Nurburgring

The Nurburgring had previously been given an April date for its European Grand Prix, when the weather in the Eifel mountain region is notoriously fickle, but the last week's revised F1 calendar had switched it to May 30. That coincides with the Whitsun weekend, which is the traditional date of the venue's highly popular 'Rock am Ring' music festival, which attracts over 70,000 people.

The German press has reported that Rock am Ring organisers are defiant over the festival's date, as they have already begun booking acts for the event. However, it is unlikely that the FIA would be willing to switch the F1 date again.

Formula 1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone has already hinted that Germany might lose one of its two grands prix. "It's not clear that Germany will keep both its races at the Hockenheimring and the Nurburgring," he told Financial Times Deutschland.