Spa-Francorchamps in the calendar in 2023? “Discussions with Belgium are still ongoing”, says F1 CEO
The Belgian GP has not yet been extended for 2023. So there is a risk that Sunday’s GP will be the last, at least for several years, at Spa-Francorchamps.
“You will never see a comment from my side saying this is the last year for Belgium,” Stefano Domenicali said Wednesday night during a virtual press briefing. “I will be careful about that, very careful. It is true that we are working with other promoters to see if they are ready to commit. We want to find the right balance, at least a third in Europe, a third in the Far East, and the other in America/Middle East. Of course, we are talking about a sector where the investments and the financial contribution are very important, but we have always said that the traditional courses, which we know that “They can’t bring the money that others bring, have all our respect. They will be respected in the future. Discussions with Belgium are still ongoing. As with France or Monaco (not yet confirmed for 2023, editor’s note)”.
Stefano Domenicali recalls that although it is historic, the Belgian GP has not always been on the calendar. “If you remember, there were times when Belgium weren’t on the schedule,” he said. “She came back. We sometimes have a short memory (Belgium has organized 66 editions in 73 F1 seasons, its last absence dating back to 2006, editor’s note). It’s a great place, no doubt, and that’s why We are talking. In Monza this year there will be the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Italian GP. But as an Italian, I always tell them: you have to realize that history is not enough. These places make always part of the discussions but, for their part, their presence cannot be taken for granted”.
The F1 CEO does not rule out the idea of a rotation. “Indeed, one possibility, not next year, but in the future, could be to find this kind of rotation which could allow everyone to be part of the calendar. It has been requested by some local promoters. There is sites that are talking to each other to submit a proposal to us in the next few months. This will not be part of the 2023 calendar. We will talk about 2024 or 2025 maximum to start with this approach”.
The 2023 calendar has not yet been decided. We do not know how many courses it will have.
“Next year, probably, around 24, 23 or 24 races. I think now the market is asking for that. In the past, we had 15, 17 races, we had different situations”, advances Stefano Domenicali. “Today that number is the right balance, given the fact that there is a lot of interest in F1. If I felt that in terms of value that number was getting too high, I would be the first to reduce it”.
Can the links between China and Russia be taken into consideration to establish the number of GP? “The political line of sport is always very fragile, we must always be careful,” replies Stefano Domenicali. “We want to put forward positive values. At the moment I think the situation in China needs to be followed for many reasons, we have the Covid situation which is not clear. All the major sports leagues are waiting to understand what’s going on. We are talking with all major sports to understand. We believe we have a clearer direction on the future scenario for China by the end of this year.”
Asked whether South Africa can hope to return in 2023, Stefano Domenicali replied: “We want to have a race in Africa. Today, the most likely place for that is South Africa. South. What we are looking for is a very solid, clear and long-term commitment. This takes time. We will clarify this situation in the next few days. We want to make the commitment to be in Africa, but we want to take it properly”.