I have heard more and more noise about Spa losing its spot on the calendar and this troubles me deeply. After we have lost historical tracks like Nürburgring and Hockenheim in Germany because of finances, it is looking like we could have another victim. The situation with Spa is slightly different as it is not just about the money but also the space on the calendar with Spa’s contract running out at the wrong time. Stephano Domenicali said to the F1 bosses over the Montreal Grand Prix weekend that the calendar could grow to 24 races next year. F1’s expansion priorities to new markets mean that 16 of the 24 races are allocated to races outside of Europe, which I have no problem with, but that does feel a little high. Of those 8 slots, Silverstone, Budapest, Spain, Imola, Zandvoort and Monza all have contracts in 2023. Meanwhile, Monaco is still negotiating, and Austria is very likely to survive as it is owned by Red Bull (nepotism much?) This means that there is no room for Spa, even if it had all the money in the world. Out of all of those races, only Silverstone and Monza are at Spa’s level of thrill, action, weather variability and overtake probability. Budapest is a fantastic circuit, but it does not suit Formula One cars, I have watched too many races there that are processions as the drivers can’t get anywhere near each other because Budapest’s layout is too tight and twisty, and the one straight isn’t long enough. Also, don’t get me started on Monaco, a once crucial circuit for the popularity of the sport but F1 has outgrown it, the cars are too big, but to be honest, F1 cars haven’t been able to pass there for decades and that was only because drivers sometimes missed gears in their manual gearboxes back in the day.
While I understand F1 is a business, it is not like it is short of money since Netflix’s Drive To Survive has made it the fastest growing sport in the world. It has endless high end sponsors and reaches places only Football can reach in scope. It has been reported that to host an F1 race for 10 years, it would cost 1 billion dollars. I just don’t think it needs to be prioritising areas and money over its competitive spectacle. In recent years the sport has added Saudi Arabia, Vietnam (even though they never made it), Miami and Las Vegas – all willing to pay big money for street circuits. I can safely say that none of these tracks even come close to Spa in terms of challenge, spectacle and most importantly, competitiveness. Yes, street circuits create a different challenge for the drivers but apart from when chaos ensues during the race, the racing is usually boring and processional because the tracks are created to fit around the existing structures, they are too tight for the cars and usually not suited to overtaking. While having the races in different cities gives the locals are closer look at the cars and creates an exciting atmosphere in said city, I just experienced that in Montreal, the racing is the core of the sport and if F1 continues down this road, I think they are sacrificing the level of racing for commercial gain which just feels wrong. Franz Tost’s recent comments really scared me when he said
“No money, no game. If they have the money, we go there. If we don’t have the money, we don’t go there”
What is this? Is this the pinnacle of motorsport, where the best drivers and the best teams go up against each other on the best tracks in the world? Or is this a pyramid scheme where only money and greed matter? Unfortunately, I think I know that answer now.
Ok, now let’s talk about Spa. The 7.004km track winds itself through the trees high in the Ardennes Forest which creates varied and highly localised weather. It is perfectly likely that the top end of the track can be covered in cloud and rain but down the hill it can be sunny and dry. This creates strategic nightmares for the teams and often chaos out on track as they scramble to sort themselves out as their drivers are driving around averaging 142mph. The track itself has 20 corners with a mix of slow, medium, and fast including some of the most iconic in the world – La Source, Eau Rouge, Raidillon, Pouhon, Blanchimont and the Bus Stop to name a few. The lack of runoff area which is populated by grass takes no prisoners. It also has 3 legitimate overtaking spots. The lap starts with the first spot, the tight hairpin of Le Source at the top of the hill that quickly dips down towards the Eau Rouge/Raidillon combo. The fast left-right-left which takes us back up the hill is one of the most feared on the calendar and ends with the blind crest at Raidillon. This leads on to the second overtaking spot on the track – the braking zone into the Les Combes chicane after the long Kemmel Straight. From here the track starts to wind back downhill through the middle sector which consists of only medium to high-speed corners, the most notable of all being Pouhon – a 150 mph multiple apex left hander that requires deadly accuracy and bravery to ace. Once the middle sector is over, the final sector is a full throttle blast through Blanchimont towards the final overtaking spot on the track – the bus stop chicane – where the cars arrive at 190mph. The widening braking zone creates opportunities for overtaking and as the short start/finish straight is the only thing between this last overtaking spot and the first of the next lap, it means that cars can try and take revenge straight away if overtaken into the Bus Stop. This contributes to keeping the cars close together and gives the racing a nice flow. It is like a rollercoaster for the drivers and a track they all want to tame (another reason to keep it).
Now, this really is my final point, and it is very much last but not least. In a 2021 fan survey, Spa was voted as one of the four ‘Critical Grand Prix’s’ alongside Silverstone, Monza and Monaco. On Page 24, the document classes it as part of the ‘Untouchables’ with the above-mentioned trio. While Monaco has its own issues and a fractious relationship with F1, they are all seen as THE F1 tracks. A core of races that are not just historically valuable to F1 but what the fans want to see and treasure. If this Liberty media regime is at all bothered by fan experience, and their PR machine indicates they do, they must keep their promises.
“We are focussed on the fans. We must give them what they want in order to keep them engaged.”
This is a quote from Stephano Domenicali’s foreword on the Global F1 Fan Survey of 2021. How is getting rid of a track you called ‘Untouchable’ at the first time of asking a focused and engaged approach aimed at THE FANS? Or is it more about money? Where is the fight? I get you want to expand but dedicating 16 of the potentially 24 races to outside of Europe, to then suffocate tracks like Spa and Hockenheim which bring pedigree, prestige and personality. They are also tracks that are very good for racing, weirdly. Money should not be the defining factor in deciding where F1 races. Formula One is the World Championship event for the highest class of motorsport, it should be about being the best. You can’t call yourself the best if you don’t go up against the best. I know it feels like a futile battle these days to argue against money in sport, but it feels like if we lose Spa, F1 is in danger of losing its heart.
The Perfect Formula 