The calendar for the 2023 season is not expected until the end of the summer, but the plans are slowly becoming clearer. And they don’t sound good for Francorchamps.
At least that is the feeling that lives in the paddock, after the team bosses and CEO Stefano Domenicali of F1 owner Liberty Media met in Montreal on Saturday afternoon about, among other things, next season. Three things can be distilled from what leaked afterwards. All teams agree that next year there should be no more than 24 races. It is also clear that the grands prix will be grouped more per region and that many races in 2023 can take place at a different time than their classic moment. But the most important news is that Domenicali apparently assumes 16 races outside Europe.
In that case, 8 places remain for European circuits. Silverstone, Budapest, Spain, Imola, Zandvoort and Monza have a contract for 2023 and will therefore definitely be on the calendar. Negotiations are still underway with Monaco, but the general expectation is that they will adjust their somewhat haughty attitude there and meet the economic and logistical demands of Liberty Media. And Austria will certainly be fine, because that circuit is owned by Red Bull. This means that the eight European towns have been filled in.
It is clear that the fate of Francorchamps in that scenario depends on other races that may disappear or be postponed for another year. For example, the South African grand prix in Kyalami has not yet been completed, Mexico is also waiting for a new contract – according to an informed source a matter of weeks – and China must first open its borders half-closed due to Covid.
But even if one of the above three is killed, Belgium will have to compete against France. Le Castellet still seems to be under Francorchamps in the pecking order, but the French are using increasingly heavy lobbying guns, with politicians on the front line. In any other way, you can’t interpret the latest cannon shot, an insane plan to organize a grand prix in the streets of Nice.
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