Max Verstappen has spoken out against the possibility of the Belgian GP leaving the Formula 1 calendar as early as next year
What is the future of the Formula One World Championship calendar? With the arrival of new venues and the return of others, long gone, traditional tracks and countries are contemplating the possibility of no longer having a Formula 1 race. With the arrival of Las Vegas and an imminent deal with South Africa for 2023, the two balls of the turn are France and Belgium. Max Verstappen stepped forward to lament the possible absence of the Belgian track.
Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most traditional tracks in Formula 1 and, last year, it underwent works to adapt safety issues such as the escape areas in parts of the track. Even so, the sequence for next year is unknown. The reigning world champion doesn't want his favorite track to leave the scene like this.
"I think it would be a shame to lose Spa. It's my favorite track in the whole world and there's the recent changes they've made to the exhaust areas and other things," he said.
"It's a simply amazing track for a Formula One car. Any car, to be honest, with all the high-speed corners and the overall fluency of the track," Verstappen followed.
Carlos Sainz also addressed the situation and assessed what the danger means for the French and Belgian GPs from a market point of view. But he was propositional: he suggested the idea of rotating stages in the calendar, a vision that appears more and more strongly in the World Championship.
"I think it is possible to find a concession, because at the end of the day we all love going to France and Spa, but at the same time the sport is growing a lot. There are a lot of new places that are paying a lot of money to be part of the F1 calendar. It's hard from a business point of view to say no to that," he said.
"The best concession would be to rotate. I understand that France and Spa may not be able to afford participation on the calendar every year, but I hope we can visit Spa every two or three years. I hope that even with Vegas, South Africa and whatever else comes, we can still spend in France and come back to Spa from time to time to enjoy these circuits," he finished.
The 2022 Formula One season continues this weekend, July 22-24, in Paul Ricard, with the French GP. The 2022 Belgium GP is scheduled for the weekend of August 28, after the European summer break.