A spokesperson for the Nurburgring has ruled out hope of F1 returning to the legendary German circuit.

The track made a brief return to the calendar in 2020 when it was one of a number of European tracks needed by F1 in order to schedule a championship in the midst of the pandemic.

Built in the early 1920s, it first hosted the German Grand Prix, as part of the Formula One World Championship in 1951, using the infamous Nordschleife layout. Following Niki Lauda's near fatal crash in 1976, Germany's round of the world championship switched to Hockenheim - which had hosted the 1970 event - returning to the circuit in the Eifel mountains in 1985, albeit on a new circuit located alongside the old Nordschleife and which had hosted the European Grand Prix the year before.

Between 2008 and 2014 it alternated with Hockenheim in hosting Germany's round of the world championship, but under new ownership the track was unable to afford the hosting fees being demanded.

Despite Germany being represented by the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Mercedes, Hockenheim also had to cry off, hosting its last race in 2019.

While cash-rich nations are supposedly lining up to host races, those tracks without the requisite financial resources and unable to rely on government backing have been priced out.

"For these reasons, the plan is not feasible for us as a private company in this form," Alexander Gerhard, a spokesman for the Nurburgring, tells Sky Sports Germany.

"Since the last discussion, more than a year ago, no further talks have taken place with the organiser of the series," he adds.

However, the owners of Hockenheim, the Emodrom Group, haven't given up on F1's return.

"We have been working in the background for more than four years to further develop the Hockenheimring as a leading racing circuit and are now keen to realise future-oriented projects," the group's MD, Tim Brauer, tells Welt.

"Of course, we are also thinking about Formula 1, but we approach such considerations with great caution," he admits.

"We are not going to do anything crazy financially, but we are trying to find ways to bring Formula 1 back to Germany."

With F1 seemingly determined to reduce the number of races in Europe - unless, God forbid, there is another pandemic - any return would no doubt see Hockenheim, which like the Nurburgring had been emasculated out of all recognition, would end up on a rotational basis whilst fans get the privilege of enjoying Jeddah and Qatar year after year.