Max Verstappen wants to keep historic circuits like Spa-Francorchamps on the 2023 calendar

Sunday 25 August, Max Verstappen retained his title as the last winner of the French Grand Prix. One more line on his record that he could keep longer than expected while the future of Paul Ricard in Formula 1 is written in dotted lines. Since the start of the season, the French event has been in a complex situation with a contract that runs until the end of 2022 and other circuits inclined to host a round of the world championship.

Even if the French supporters showed their fervor from Thursday to Sunday, this is not the most important parameter to take into account. With a discipline once again profitable, all players are now seeking to maximize profits and this has enabled, among other things, the arrival of new routes such as Jeddah or Las Vegas in 2023.

But, with places on the calendar costing a lot of money, it's not just Paul Ricard that is under threat. Other circuits like Spa-Francorchamps are too. Present on the calendar since 1950 (despite a few years of absence), the Belgian event is in the same situation as its French counterpart. So with a 2023 calendar not yet finalized, some drivers do not hesitate to take a stand. “ I don't see myself in 2028 or later only driving on street circuits close to cities, just for fan engagement or whatever. “, explains Max Verstappen.

Only urban circuits on the calendar, a hypothesis not to Max Verstappen's taste

Well aware that the Belgian Grand Prix has flaws, the world champion is keen to protect the historic circuits on the calendar. “ It's just a great track to drive...I understand that getting there, compared to other tracks, is probably a bit more difficult sometimes with the traffic », underlines the pilot Red Bull.

« I understand that everyone wants to make money, but there is also a limit to that because it is important to keep these very cool circuits on the calendar instead of just driving on urban tracks, which is what the F1 aren't designed anyway », Estimates Max Verstappen. The historic nature of the routes is no longer sufficient to ensure their place on the calendar.

The world champion is not the only one to have expressed his regret at potentially losing Spa-Francorchamps. Pierre Gasly also shares this opinion and could suffer a double disappointment with the 2023 calendar with the addition of its national event. “ Spa is probably my favorite circuit on the calendar. It's a beautiful circuit, a great place to race and I think at the end of the day it will be a loss, a loss for us Formula 1 drivers “, explains the Habs. Even if nothing is decided for the moment, the situation still seems to be going badly for Spa-Francorchamps and Paul Ricard which are likely to no longer appear on the 2023 Formula 1 calendar.

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