Belgian Grand Prix signs new Formula 1 deal to host race for four out of six years from 2026-2031
The Belgian Grand Prix has secured a new contract that will keep it on the Formula 1 calendar for four out of six years from 2026-2031.
It is the first deal of this type signed by F1, which is trying to find ways to accommodate new events in an already crowded calendar.
The contract stipulates that the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit will host races in 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031.
However, Belgium will be replaced by another race in 2028 and 2030.
Details of what other locations will rotate with the spa have not yet been confirmed.
Barcelona in Spain and Imola in Italy both want to keep their run going, even if they are out of contract after this year.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is being replaced as the venue for the Spanish Grand Prix by a new circuit in Madrid from next season.
The Dutch Grand Prix deal expires after 2026, but organizers in the Netherlands may want to revive it at some point, and F1 is also exploring ways to bring French and German races back into the calendar.
France is the birthplace of motorsport, while Germany is also one of the oldest, but both have become unviable in recent seasons.
France returned to the schedule in 2018 but dropped off the calendar again after 2022, while Germany has not hosted a race since 2019.
The return of the Turkish Grand Prix, last held in 2021, is also an option after returning to the calendar in 2020 as a result of the pandemic.
The rotation of European races also gives F1 the option to add new races outside the sport’s European heartland, which currently accounts for about a third of the calendar.
F1 is working on building a new circuit outside the capital Kigali in Rwanda, central Africa, which will take place no earlier than 2028.
Thailand is also interested in a race, but it probably won’t happen before 2030. South Korea’s chances of returning to the calendar, which were explored in both Seoul and Busan, are diminishing.
F1 Chairman Stefano Domenicali said: “The Belgian Grand Prix was one of the races that created our first championship in 1950, so as we begin our 75th anniversary year it is fitting that we announce the news of this significant expansion. Can share.
“Spa-Francorchamps is acclaimed by drivers and fans as one of the finest race tracks in the world and has hosted some incredible moments throughout its many seasons in Formula 1.
“In recent years it has done significant work to improve the facility and the overall fan experience, and I want to pay tribute to the promoter and the Government of Wallonia for their dedication and passionate support for F1 in Belgium.”
Last year brought F1’s longest season ever with 24 races, a schedule that continues this year, starting in Australia on March 14-16.
The team’s contract with F1 stipulates a maximum of 25 races a year.
Those deals are to be renegotiated for the period starting in 2026, F1’s next regulatory period, but there is widespread agreement that the sport is already at the upper limit of what is possible in terms of the calendar, and The maximum number of races is not expected to change in the new contracts.
