The Belgian Grand Prix will be a fixture in the Formula 1 calendar for four of the next six years. This agreement marks a shift in F1’s approach to race scheduling, raising questions about the future of traditional events in an era of expanding global markets.read more
In what could soon become a regular trend in Formula 1, the Belgian Grand Prix has signed a new four-year extension that will see the race feature in the calendar for four of the next six years. The four-year extension starts next year and will include races only in 2026, 2027, 2029, and 2031. The Belgian Grand Prix will not be part of the F1 schedule in 2028 and 2030.
This allows F1 to host races in a traditional venue like Belgium without committing to an annual event. The organizers will now be free to rotate venues and try out new markets.
Belgian GP decision to have long-lasting impact
Presently, Formula 1 has not announced who will host the races in 2028 and 2030 when Belgium will not be a part of the calendar. But these races could go to the USA or Asian markets which have been an area of focus recently for the organizers rather than the European circuits.
If the Belgium GP deal becomes the new norm, as expected, then races in Europe can be rotated between different venues year by year.
Belgian GP has a glittering past
The Spa-Francorchamps circuit, a favorite with many drivers for its flowing high-speed layout through forested hills, was on the F1 schedule for the first championship season in 1950 and has been on the calendar every year since 2007.
“The Belgian Grand Prix was one of the races that made up our maiden Championship in 1950, so as we kick off our 75th anniversary year it is fitting that we can share the news of this important extension,” F1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali. said in a statement.
“Spa-Francorchamps is rightly lauded by drivers and fans alike as one of the finest racetracks in the world and it has played host to some incredible moments over its many seasons in Formula 1.”
More European venues could miss out
Spa-Francorchamps isn’t the only historic European circuit that may stop being a yearly destination for F1.
F1 hosts two races a year in Italy at Monza and Imola but the long-term future for Imola is unclear. The deal for Spain’s Circuit de Catalunya expires next year, when a new street race arrives in the Spanish capital, Madrid.
F1 hasn’t raced in Germany since 2020 but has a history of rotating between two circuits there. The last race in Turkey was in 2021 and the most recent French GP was in 2022.
Without a Belgian Grand Prix in 2028, there won’t be a home race for F1 champion Max Verstappen, who was born in Belgium but races under the Netherlands flag. The Dutch GP will drop off the F1 schedule after the 2026 race after the promoter decided last month not to continue.
Recent races at Spa-Francorchamps have seen large numbers of Verstappen fans in the stands wearing orange to represent the Netherlands. F1’s statement Wednesday highlighted the track’s “significant investment” to increase capacity by 10,000 with two new grandstands.
This year’s Belgian Grand Prix race weekend is from July 25 through 27, including a sprint race.
With agency inputs