Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz believes that a rotation system would allow Formula 1 to keep classic Grands Prix such as France and Belgium on the calendar, as the schedule for the 2023 championship will become even more congested with new locations eager to spend a lot of money to gain a place in Formula 1.
The 2023 Formula One calendar should include the Chinese and Qatar Grands Prix, that will therefore return to hosting F1 events, in addition to the highly expected race around the streets of Las Vegas, the third F1 Grand Prix in the United States. There are also talks regarding the South African Grand Prix, which is also targeting a place for next season and this means that Formula 1 will also have to focus on making space for the new venues by removing some of the current ones.
In first in line to be removed for the following Formula 1 campaign seem to be the French and Belgian Grands Prix, but Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz admitted he hopes such events will be able to remain on the F1 calendars at least on a rotating basis.
“We all love going to France and Spa, but at the same time, the sport is growing so much that there’s a lot of new places that are paying a lot of money to be part of Formula 1” – the Spaniard said, when asked about this matter, ahead of the French Grand Prix – “I think the best compromise would be to do rotation, and I understand that France or Spa maybe cannot afford to be on the calendar every year, but I hope that at least we can go there every two or three years in a Formula 1 car. Even if Vegas, South Africa, or whatever is coming, [I hope] we can still go to back to France or Spa every now and then to keep enjoying those circuits, and maybe like this they can afford it a bit easier.” – the Ferrari driver added.
Other drivers keen to retain classic GPs as well.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen agreed with Carlos Sainz’s thoughts on the idea of keeping classic venues on the calendar, explaining he was equally eager to continue racing at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in the future: “It would be a big shame to lose Spa,” said Max Verstappen, whose mother is Belgian – “It’s my favourite track in the world, and it’s just an amazing track in a Formula 1 car, with all the high speed corners and the flow it has in general.” – he added.
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Also weighing in on the subject was Alpine French driver Esteban Ocon, who admitted he would like his home Grand Prix to continue being a fixture in Formula 1: “I saw a great comment from Stefano [Domenicali, F1’s CEO], basically saying that France deserves to have a Grand Prix in the future,” Esteban Ocon explained – “This is my stance as well. ‘Grand Prix’ – it’s a French word. There’s a big community for motorsport in France, we have some of the biggest and the best cars as well.” – the Alpine driver concluded.
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