'F1 wants Zandvoort to continue for years, Spa-Francorchamps in danger'
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- GPblog.com
Formula 1 wants to further expand the calendar in the coming years, but will also have to say goodbye to circuits with expiring contracts. Circuit Zandvoort does not have to worry according to De Telegraaf, but Spa-Francorchamps does.
New F1 Calendar
With 23 races in 2022, Formula 1 is setting a record this year. Never before have there been so many races in a season, but that is not enough. F1 wants to expand to 24 races in 2025, but there is the potential to grow to a total of thirty races, Stefano Domenicali previously announced.
For now, however, the sport is stuck with the maximum of 24 races, as stated in the Concorde Agreement, which applies until 2025. This means that there is still one spot left on the calendar, but with the return of China, Qatar and the possible arrival of a race in Las Vegas, two races would already have to disappear.
Racing at Zandvoort
Zandvoort does not have to worry according to sources from De Telegraaf. Formula 1 would prefer to continue for years with the event in Zandvoort that was a huge success in 2021. The big party in the dunes was an example for many other organizations.
''That we are on the right track is obvious, but at the same time we are not going to take any chances. We are one hundred percent a privately financed event, so then all the pieces of the puzzle have to fall together. That means we are dependent on our ticket buyers, sponsors and other partners. It is logical to make a decision after the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix," says circuit director Robert van Overdijk to De Telegraaf.
Problems for Spa-Francorchamps
Zandvoort is in a luxurious position in that respect. The contract with F1 runs until 2023 and Zandvoort itself still has a unilateral option that it can exercise for another two years. For the future of Zandvoort, fans do not have to fear, but they do have to fear for the future of Spa-Francorchamps and Paul Ricard.
The circuits in Belgium and France have expiring contracts and are not among the parties with the biggest bag of money. Spa is a favorite circuit of many drivers and there was still a lot of investment in recent years to modernize the circuit. Paul Ricard is less loved by drivers and fans, but F1 will also look at the wallets of the two circuits.