Spa-Francorchamps is in danger of disappearing from the Formula 1 calendar after this year’s race. But the organizers of the Belgian grand prix are doing everything they can to prevent that. With an American-style show and an improvement of the traffic situation they are trying to convince the promoters and keep the event on the Formula 1 calendar for future years.
On August 28, the Belgian Grand Prix takes place, the first round after the summer break. Possibly for the last time, because the contract with Formula One is coming to an end and there have been rumors for some time that Spa-Francorchamps will no longer have a place on the 2023 F1 calendar.
To win over the promoters, the organizers have spared no effort to provide innovations and additional entertainment. The presence of several top chefs and a new restaurant with about 100 places to eat, Fuego, must provide a greater culinary experience in the fan zones. A mini-Tomorrowland with some 35 DJs, some of whom will also be playing in the stands, must contribute to the American show feeling. Because they are not the least of these: Henri PFR, Sander Van Doorn, Peter Luts, Ken Colt…
A brand new traffic plan, with extra trains, more (electric) shuttles and more paved parking lots, should put an end to traffic jams and parking problems. For the VIPs there is the “F1 Experience In The Sky”, a platform thirty meters above ground level with a breathtaking view of the starting grid, the Raidillon and the paddocks. The paddocks will feature Live Experience Entertainment on giant screens, a Paddock Lounge with DJs and featuring digital art artists. The three-day event will get underway with a mini-air show and conclude with fireworks.
Mayor has hope
The mayor of Stavelot is optimistic and is convinced that the region needs an unprecedented event like the Formula 1 GP. “We are delighted that Spa-Francorchamps will soon be there again,” says Thierry de Bournonville. “Precisely because it is such an important year now, because of those persistent rumors. The Walloon region has made great efforts to modernize its infrastructure. It would be a shame to see such a fantastic circuit, and a Grand Prix so appreciated by the drivers, disappear.”
The 2023 calendar may feature 25 Grands Prix. Three in the United States, four in the Middle East, some in Asia and Africa…. For the traditional European circuits, it will be difficult to force a place under the sun: “We are in discussions with F1’s promoter, Formula One, and those discussions are not easy,” clarified Vanessa Maes, general manager of Spa Grand Prix. “The constant rumors don’t make it any simpler. Sometimes I read that we will stay, other times that we should have no illusions and yet another time that we are in between. I don’t participate in those speculations. I am convinced that Formula One has a real appetite for a future with a GP in Belgium, and more specifically in Spa. Also in the political world all forces are mobilized to keep Spa-Francorchamps on the F1 calendar. And this is no more than logical, given the incredible history and mythical aura of this race.” – Vanessa Maes explained, according to hln.be.
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360,000 fans: a record
The organizers are rubbing their hands together, because all admission tickets for this year’s Grand Prix were sold out in just three days. This means that 100,000 spectators are expected every day, along with some 20,000 race commissaires, logistical and other team workers. Times three days, that means 360,000 people on and around the track: “This has never been seen before since the Spa Grand Prix in 2007,” Vanessa Maes gleams with pride. “In 2019 we had 89,000 fans per day, in 2021 it was 75,000. And then we were only allowed to use 75% of the spectator seats.”
The organizers, by the way, sincerely hope that the Grand Prix at the end of August will be less noisy than the 2021 edition. Last year’s catastrophic meteorological conditions meant that the drivers could barely complete two laps on the circuit behind the safety car before the race had to be called off for good. Meanwhile, the thousands of spectators had to wait in the cold and the rain to return to their cars and start the long and dangerous journey home.
This year, Covid-19 restrictions no longer have to be taken into account, and the capacity of the stands can be used to the full. For the spectators who saw the 2021 edition literally fall through the cracks, there will be a compensation event on Thursday, August 25, when 10,000 spectators are expected.
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