Hockenheim's hopes of remaining on the F1 calendar beyond 2010 have taken a turn for the better.

We reported recently that the future of the German venue was not bright, after Hockenheim mayor Dieter Gummer said race losses made the event "no longer justifiable".

But Auto Motor und Sport reports that the circuit, which annually rotates staging the German grand prix with the Nurburgring, is in talks with an American investor.

"There is very strong interest," Gummer said.

Race organisers are not, however, relying on the intervention of the government. Mannheimer Morgen newspaper reports that state chief minister Gunther Oettinger turned down a request for financial help.

Source: GMM