German GP boss Georg Seiler has admitted that Hockenheim is very unlikely to be on F1's 2020 calendar.
He told DPA news agency that talks with Liberty Media are ongoing, but "there is no contract".
"For 2020 it looks like there will not be a German GP here," said the Hockenheim chief.
"There will be 21 races, Hanoi and Zandvoort will be added, so two events have to go and it looks like Barcelona, Mexico and us are the candidates."
However, Seiler said there is still faint hope.
"It's still not 100 per cent for sure," he said of Hockenheim's F1 demise. "Last year we were not so far from where we are now and we made the contract for 2019 in September or October.
"There's a back door, but at the moment I see the chance as little," Seiler added.
F1 CEO Chase Carey has said he wants F1's 'traditional' races like Germany to survive, so Seiler has a proposal to make that a reality.
"If we cannot increase the number of races, traditional European races could be held every two or three years," he suggested.