Nobody will be in the wheel-tracks of the final two rising talents in German motorsport, Ralf Schumacher has lamented.
The country has lost both of its grands prix and Nico Hulkenberg, 36, is now the last active German driver on the Formula 1 grid.
Red Bull has signed two young German Formula 3 talents to its famous driver development program - Oliver Goethe and Tim Tramnitz (both 19).
"The two who are coming up now are good," said Schumacher. "But in the long term, unfortunately, they will be the last ones," he told Auto Bild.
"German motorsport, especially when it comes to formula racing, cancelled itself a few years ago," the brother of F1 legend Michael Schumacher explained.
"With the sale of German Formula 3 as part of the DTM, a huge gate was suddenly closed and Germany disappeared into insignificance.
"We no longer have any proper kart tracks," Ralf added. "Everyone who wants to become something in automobile and formula racing has to go to Italy."
When told that 22-year-old female driver Sophia Florsch, who made international headlines with her spectacular Macau crash several years ago, is another rising German star, Schumacher disagrees.
"She is certainly the best woman we currently have in German motorsport," Ralf said, "but her talent is not enough for professional formula racing."
