RoC forced to change venue this year

The end-of-season event was originally scheduled for December 3-4 at the Commerzbank-Arena, but the late announcement by the Bundesliga has forced organisers to can those plans.

Football team Eintracht Frankfurt, which plays its home games at the Commerzbank-Arena, was relegated to the Bundesliga second division in May so its season now starts two weeks earlier, meaning the Race of Champions is forced to change venues.

No new venue was announced by the organisers yet.

Frankfurt ticket-holders will be entitled either to a full refund or to a special offer when the new venue is announced.

"This news came through very late and it was a total surprise for us," said organiser Fredrik Johnsson. "So our first priority is to find the best possible alternative venue and to apologise to all the race fans who have made plans to join us in Frankfurt.

"They will have a choice of a special offer to compensate them or to be reimbursed in full if they cannot join us at the new venue. We hope to announce the replacement shortly and we can assure everyone that the Race Of Champions will still be held in Germany in December.

"We've checked with the drivers and both Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher have confirmed that they will be with us regardless."