Before the French GP weekend got underway, Max Verstappen released a statement shared by many Formula 1 fans regarding the eventual release of the Belgian track calendar.
The world champion has expressed concern about a cancellation of a now classic event that is likely to no longer be disputed in the future in light of Liberty Media’s desire to expand into other markets.
In recent years, the world champion circus has made stops in Jeddah, Baku and Miami and next year the appointment in Las Vegas will enter the calendar which will increase the number of races on city circuits.
The Dutchman, on the occasion of the press conference on Thursday, reiterated his dissent towards this new era of Formula 1 and stressed that the leaders of the category should not sacrifice traditional venues in favor of city races just to increase involvement. of fans.
“It’s sad” commented Verstappen yesterday when he was asked what he thought of the possible departure from the Spa-Francorchamps track calendar.
“Firstly it’s my favorite track and I think it’s a fantastic track. Obviously I can understand that compared to other circuits on some occasions it can be problematic to reach due to the traffic, but it is an iconic track ”.
“I don’t want to see myself in a few years racing only on street circuits made only for the involvement of fans because there is a need for these iconic tracks in the calendar.”
“I understand that everyone wants to make money, but there is also a limit to that. It is important to keep these tracks on the calendar where to drive and fantastic instead of making room only for street circuits for which I believe the F1 cars are not designed ”.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Another rider who expressed concern at the press conference yesterday was Esteban Ocon. The Alpine rider will compete in his home race this weekend, but the future of the event at Paul Ricard is in strong doubt as his F1 contract expires at the end of this year.
Ocon admitted that he had discussed the future of France in Formula 1 with Stefano Domenicali and that he was convinced that there could be space on the calendar, perhaps on an iconic track like that of Le Mans.
“Sure, the track needs some work on track limits and the like, but having a Formula 1 race at Le Mans would be pretty impressive.”
At the moment, however, the 13.6 km La Sarthe track and the shortest Bugatti circuit – used for the MotoGP race – do not meet the level required to host Formula 1 as they only have the FIA grade 2 license.
The future of France in the calendar remains uncertain and this is not linked to the viability to reach the Paul Ricard track, but to the will of Formula 1 not to organize a GP in France every year.
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