F1 News: Spa could lose calendar slot in 2023

The 2023 calendar is still undecided, as F1 evaluates the venues that will stay and those that will lose their slots.

Several circuits on the calendar have contracts expiring at the end of this year, making their positions in the sport vulnerable. Spa is one of these, and despite the history and majesty of the Belgian circuit, there are legitimate concerns it will lose its place on the calendar.

Dutch outlet telegraaf.nl has released a report (adding many already published) that suggests Spa will not be on the F1 calendar in 2023.

According to this latest report, the consensus that Spa could lose its slot on the calendar is correct, though the Belgian GP’s position is dependent on a variety of factors.

One of these is the Chinese and South African GP, which – if both find their way on the 2023 calendar – will likely replace Spa.

F1 could reach the limit of 24 races in a season next year, but given Shanghai already has a contract with F1 and the belief amongst the sport’s leading figures that a return to South Africa is likely, Belgium and France would drop out.

The historical significance of the circuit de-Francorchamps will do little to help preserve its position, as even the delays in Spa being given a new contract demonstrate it is not a priority.

Financial reasons always play a part in these discussions, and the infrastructural problems of the Belgian circuit – alongside Liberty’s confidence that Zandvoort can be successful in the same region – make Spa’s F1 future extremely uncertain.

It seems the Belgian GP is hanging on for dear life, and there is a sense of inevitability when reading the consistently published reports that it would require a near miracle for F1 to return to Belgium next season.

Ultimately, it seems Spa’s future is out of its hands.