A delay in Miami could have reignited Hockenheim's chances of staying on the Formula 1 calendar.
It has now been confirmed that the 2019 schedule will not include an inaugural street race in Miami.
"We have decided to postpone sign-off until later in the summer, with the aim of running the first Miami grand prix in 2020," announced F1 commercial boss Sean Bratches.
The bad news out of Miami could be good news for Hockenheim.
It is believed Liberty Media may simply prefer to plug the calendar gap with a substitute race, even though talks for a 2019 German grand prix broke down recently over the cost.
"I'm not interested in whether Miami is on the calendar. I thought we would not be back until 2020, but I've also heard that Liberty Media is interested in being in Germany in 2019 as well.
We are curious as to what they propose," Hockenheim's Georg Seiler told Kolner Express.
Seiler also told the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper that he would need a decision about 2019 "in the next few weeks".
He wants a deal with "no financial risk", and bemoans the lack of government support. Last weekend, Seiler met with German federal minister Andreas Scheuer.
"If politicians are interested in keeping formula one in Germany, that's a good sign. But we are far from that," he said.
