In recent weeks, it has appeared in several places that Formula 1 is already planning its fourth race in the United States, namely on the streets of Chicago. No one has confirmed the matter so far, but maybe they won’t, especially in light of the fact that, according to Motorsport.com, the sport would move in a completely different direction.
As they write, they are perfectly satisfied with the American continent and its six races, but Asia, including its eastern part, has not yet been sufficiently exploited. Currently, Singapore, China and Japan organize races in this area – F1 said goodbye to Malaysia in 2017, and the plans are for the sport to return to South Korea and to Thailand.
If F1 wants to meet these needs, if it wants to realize them, then it has to make room for them in the race calendar. This would be possible after 2025, to the detriment of the European locations: the contracts of many tracks on the old continent will expire at that time.
Despite the popularity of Max Verstappen, the Dutch and Belgian Grands Prix are in the greatest danger, in connection with which the possibility of participating in the annual rotation has already arisen. The two race venues in Italy, Imola and Monza, may also find themselves in a difficult situation – and the pressure will be increased by the fact that in a few years, a brand new street F1 track in the image of Madrid will surely be added to the calendar.
Stefano Domenicali F1 Driver Motorsport.com to your questions essentially he answered as we heard from him before: the old racetracks cannot be comfortable, these locations also need modernization to meet today’s needs, either in terms of safety or entertainment. He cited Hungaroring as a positive example. “The work taking place at the Hungaroring proves that the changes in Formula 1 contribute to raising the bar even for facilities that have fallen behind a little over the years. I say constructively: if there is no will for investment, work and joint projects, there is a risk that Formula 1 will be lost,” the general manager referred to the individual locations.
By the way, the home of the Hungarian Grand Prix has a contract valid until 2032, so this danger does not exist with us.
