Last Updated on October 2 2024, 10:51 pm

Formula One has relentlessly pressed for new venues to join the F1 calendar over the past two decades and the sport can truly now claim to be global. One continent is yet to host a Grand Prix weekend in modern times and Lewis Hamilton has being pushing for an African Grand Prix.

South Africa looked set to return to F1 after a 30 years absence, but greed amongst the promoters together with the FIA declaring in June 2023, that the South African Grand Prix would not return to the F1 calendar for the near future due to the country’s stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Of course the number of events held each year has grown over time, but the arrival of a swathe of new F1 venues threatens the survival of some of the more traditional European heartland occasions.

 

 

 

France and Germany gone from F1

Stalwarts of European F1 racing France and Germany have fallen away from the calendar and Barcelona is under threat from a new circuit in Madrid. Belgium continue with their year by year deals with the FIA at the iconic Spa Fancorchamp circuit which has hosted 56 Grands Prix since its F1’s creation in 1950, and comes in as the longest circuit on the current calendar at 7.004km.

Yet soon Spa and Zandvoort may be sharing an alternating slot on the F1 annual schedule given there is a limit of 24 events each year and the current roster is full.

Despite the arrival of the Shanghai’s, the Baku’s, Jeddah and Las Vegas, traditional circuits have recently been restored to the calendar with Zandvoort and its 18 degree banked turn three adding a unique nuance.

The heartland of F1 in Europe is protected from being abandoned by the sport it created. Each year eight Grand Prix weekends must be held in the region and with a maximum number of weekends also agreed at twenty four, this means a third of F1 should always be in front of its original fan base.

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Dodgy F1 definitions of Europe

However, this has been contentious in recent years with Bernie Ecclestone claiming Baku was a European event, when clearly it sits on the wrong side of the Urals to be classified as such.

Yet modern F1 has just a tiny representation in South America with Brazil being the continent’s only F1 Grand Prix. Formula One has seen a number of South American drivers excel in the sport and at one time also raced in Argentina, the home of the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio.

The Autódromo de Buenos Aires Oscar y Juan Gálvez is a 45,000 capacity motor racing circuit in Buenos Aires built by the country’s government in 1952. Michael Schumacher was the last winner of the Argentinian Grand Prix back in 1998.

In 1953, the Autodrome hosted the first ever Formula One race held outside Europe. The exile of Perón in 1955 lead to an unstable government and so finally yhe Argentine Grand Prix left the F1 calendar in 1961 for over a decade.

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Argentina’s rich F1 history

Come 1972, the Argentine Grand Prix returned to the World Championship.Carlos Reutermann became the new homegrown hero. Reutemann took pole position in his world championship debut. He become only the second driver to do this. The Grand Prix remained in Argentina through 1981, but the 1982 event was canceled due to financial difficulties.

A private group purchased the track in 1991 and began to upgrade it. The modernised circuit hosted the return of F1 in 1995 yet again  lack of funding meant the 1988 race was the last running of the event to date.

With the departure of the hapless Logan Sargeant Williams revived the age old connection with Argentina when the replaced the American with Franco Colapinto, the latest South American hot shot prospect. Colapinto has impressed the F1 paddock claiming four points in his second race in Baku but it is the gap in qualifying between him and his way more experienced team mate Alex Albon which has set the tongues a wagging.

The young Argentinian impressed such that there’s even talk that Audi are interested in recruiting him with their seat alongside Nico Hulkenberg remaining vacant at present. Further, such is the revived interest in F1 in Argentina.

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Argentine minister in F1 talks

Just as Max Verstappen created motorsport hype in the Netherlands like never seen before, Colapinto in just three outings has created something similar in Argentina whose authorities are considering revamping the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, as Zandvoort was done some five years ago.

Argentine government for tourism, Daniel Scioli, has now called for the circuit to be rebuilt to the necessary standards to host F1. “It (an F1 Grand Prix) is a global, big event,” Scioli argued, according to newspaper La Agencia de Viajes. “It creates international tourists, bringing foreign currency and jobs.”

“I spoke with President Javier Milei and the secretary-general of the presidency Karina Milei in order to coordinate all efforts so that Argentina can once again host a Formula 1 race,” he added. Scioli will attend the Brazilian GP in Sao Paulo next month to begin talks with F1 in person about the possibility of Argentina returning to the calendar.

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A fitting tribute to an F1 great

With next years 24 race schedule already confirmed, the earliest Argentina could return to the F1 roster is 2026, the year when seven current venues are out now contract. The circuits without a deal beyond next season are, Belgium, Monaco, Italy (Monza), Mexico, Imola, Netherlands and China.

Yet a return to the F1 calendar in 2026 for Argentina looks ambitious given the poor state of repair the Autodromo venue is in. Substantial investment would be required to return the track to a Grade 1 FIA licensed venue, something which is not the world of a month or two.

Juan Manuel Fangio won five drivers’ titles in the first eight seasons of F1 and a return of the Argentinian Grand Prix would reflect the rich history of the sport more than current plans for Rwanda, Thailand and a return to South Korea after a first time failure. Fangop remains the only driver to claim more F1 driver titles than Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.

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Horner on Tsunoda: “There’s no chance we are putting him a Red bull seat

Red Bull have been hammered by most writers and fans in the Formula One world for their handling of Daniel Ricciardo’s departure. Ricciardo claimed on Thursday before the race in Singapore he believed there would be big decisions made on the team’s 2025 lineup.

Yet his demeanour after coming last but with the token fastest lap, was of that of a man who knew he’d raced his last time in F1. Dr. Helmut Marko admitted Ricciardo was told before the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday that he would be replaced by Liam Lawson come the next outing in Austin, Texas.

The world championship winning F1 team appear to be in a muddle of the future of their drivers and even Max Verstappen has been rumoured to be looking elsewhere for 2026. Sergio Perez was awarded another one year deal earlier this season, but his performances since have been the worst amongst the eight drivers for the top four teams and three is no way he will be alongside Max Verstappen in 2025… READ MORE