Vettel: “It would be unimaginable to lose historic GPs” | FormulaPassion.it

Formula 1 is experiencing a very special moment as regards the agreements reached with the nations that will host a GP: already this season, in fact, the calendar will see the absolute debut of Miami – despite the protests of the residents in progress – while from 2023 will be added another US city stop in Las Vegas, not to mention the stable return of Qatar, absent this year due to the World Cup scheduled in the Middle East.

In this way, the Circus is therefore crossing new sporting boundaries, at the risk of doing without others historical and traditional events, particularly on the European continent. The most striking example is the one related to the GP of Germanynow off the calendar from 2019, to which is added the danger of losing the stages in France and Belgium – respectively in Le Castellet and in Spa-Francorchamps – whose contracts expire in 2022. The threat of a similar disappearance from the championship worries many fans, both in the old continent and in the rest of the world, but not only. Among those who want to fight for the permanence of these races there are also drivers like Sebastian Vetteltotally contrary to the idea of ​​a hypothetical disappearance of historical circuits from the calendar.

“I think it’s always exciting to go to new places – explained the Aston Martin driver – as long as they are right for us. We had an absence of racing in America, and then came Austin, which established itself as a great event. Another great example was Singapore – we had never been there before, and now it’s great to be back this year. Likewise – he added – you don’t even want to miss the places you’ve been to for so long. It would be awful to lose Melbourne from the calendar, as well as others European tracks“.

The German also expressed a favorable opinion on a possible rotating program, underlining however the passion as the main element to keep certain tests on the calendar: “There are financial interests in the new places we are going, and in the end F1 is a business – He admitted – but for us it remains a sport, as well as our passion. So, we don’t see it as a business. Places have a precise meaning thanks to the history or tradition they boast. The idea would be to find a mix between exploring and maintaining places that have a history, where there is a large fan base. Losing Italy, for example, it would be unimaginable for many reasons, although they probably pay less. However, it must be something we must cling to and fight for ”.