F1’s new owners are considering switching coverage of the sport within Germany to a pay-only platform.
The free-to-air deal enjoyed by the broadcaster RTL runs out this year, and new F1 commercial chief Sean Bratches was quoted by DPA news agency as admitting that pay TV is "where the money is".
But he added: "There are markets where the penetration of pay TV is low compared to free TV. This is especially true for Germany compared to the UK, where there are significantly more customers for pay TV.
"This makes it a bit more difficult, but we’re working on it," Bratches said.
RTL has already said that it is seeking a new contract for 2018 and beyond.