Formula One in many ways is contradictory in its values. The competitors each year design cutting edge prototype racing machines which go ever faster yet there is a backwards looking element to F1 racing as its place in history too is highly prized.

Grand Prix racing in Europe was transformed from an event by event series of one off races into a championship in 1950, with the inaugural race held at the iconic Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire. Europe was the heartland of the sport and the first excursion outside the continent was to the Argentinian Grand Prix in 1953.

Yet with the sport’s insatiable appetite for global expansion the European races are now in the minority and it seems as though matters will only get worse. This year there will be nine events held in Europe followed closely by Asia with eight which has boomed since the introduction of four events in the middle east.

 

 

 

European venues on short F1 contracts

North America now has four events with Central and South America’s two being Mexico City and Sao Paulo, then there’s Australia which makes up the count for Oceana.

However, things are set to change and for traditional F1 fans, maybe not for the best. A quick glance at the contracts awarded to each of the venues reveals that whilst most non-European races have contracts until the end of the decade and beyond, while five of the European circuits expire next year.

Monaco, Spa-Francorchamps agreed short term extensions until 2025 while Imola, Monza and Zandvoort are all out of contract come the end of next year. 

to shorter-term extensions until 2025, with Imola, Mexico City, Las Vegas, Monza and Zandvoort all coming up for renewal next year as well.

Wolff refused the opportunity to persuade Hamilton to stay

 

 

 

F1 boss announces ‘rotation’

F1 supremo Stefano Domenicali recently revealed on a Liberty Media investor call that in future more and more circuits will cease hold an annual Grand Prix of their own, but rotate with others as more non-European venues are accepted onto the calendar.

“We have some news to share very, very soon with regard to the possibility in the mid-term to have some rotational European Grand Prix and some other new options coming later,” said the Italian.

Of course the commercial rights holder of F1 is restricted by the Concorde Agreement to an annual race calendar of a maximum of twenty four events, something a number of the paddock folk believe to be already too many.

So the circle will need to be squared given new venues in Argentina, South Africa and Rwanda are in talks with F1, together with a return to a new circuit in South Korea along with Thailand and Indonesia also expressing an interest.

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European venue ‘at risk’

Former F1 racer and now Sky F1 pundit, Karen Chandhok believes one of the historic European tracks should make way for for one of the new pretenders, arguing F1 has outgrown the ageing facilities.

Talk of F1 outgrowing a venue usually centres around Monaco, whose winding narrow streets often make the race on Sunday a procession with the modern behemoth size of the F1 cars. Yet Chandhok has set his sights on another historic European venue in Emilia-Romagne, once famously called Imola. The northern Italian track became infamous in 1994 when Ayrton Senna was killed in his Williams car along with Roland Raztenberger, making it one of the most death prone location in the modern era of Formula One.

Italy is the country to have held the most F1 races in history, with Monza being the only circuit to have been continually on the calendar since F1’s inaugural season. Yet Chandock believes another European nation with a rich F1 history should replace the outdated facilities at Imola and bring a return of F1 to the country of Germany.

Like Monaco, Imola is known for being a narrow track where overtaking is difficult as was evidence from the battle this year between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Track position won the day with Max clinging on to victory over the McLaren driver by the smallest of margins.

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“Too narrow for racing nowadays”

“I would actually drop Imola. It’s a fantastic venue to go to, obviously historic. And I think in qualifying it’s a very exciting track to watch. But it’s too narrow for the racing nowadays with the size of the cars we’ve got. I think F1 has kind of outgrown it. We’re not seeing much overtaking there,” said Chandhok to Sky Sports.

“Which one would I replace it with? I feel like we need a German Grand Prix back on the track. It feels really strange to have an F1 calendar without a German Grand Prix and without a French Grand Prix. But in particular with Mercedes and so much German influence in the sport with Vettel and Schumacher, it feels a bit odd not to have a German Grand Prix.”

Germany is second only to Italy in the number of F1 events held in the country, 79 in total but the home of Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher has not featured on the race calendar since 2018.

Ex-German racing driver, Timo Glock recently gave his opinion that a return of the Hockenheim circuit could be on the cars since it was sold to a private organisation. In fact it was the German Grand Prix which pioneered an annual rotation between F1 venues with Hockenheim and the Nurburgring sharing duties between 2007-2014.

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Monaco forced to cough up bigger hosting fee

In recent years, Monaco once the jewel in the F1 crown, has been usurped by the likes of Singapore as corporations are wary of shareholder scrutiny, and so doing business in Monaco during whilst living it up during the F1 weekend – no longer has a good look.

The circuit had a “special relationship” with F1, following the Crown Prince’s assistance to Bernie Ecclestone when buying the commercial rights to the sport. Now the principality is no longer allowed to produce the racing broadcast or the track advertising and the hosting fee was raised from ‘peanuts’ to $15m in the last two year deal.

Whilst the drivers all complain about overtaking in Monaco, the Saturday qualifying is accepted to demonstrate the drivers who have special one lap talent. Were Monaco now proposed as a new F1 venue, it wouldn’t get past first base with its application, yet its place in history for now is secure.

Official: Alpine and Mercedes agree historic deal

 

 

 

Brutal assessment: Hamilton “too old and past his time”

Lewis Hamilton is currently enduring the worst season of his Formula One career. He currently sits down in seventh place in the drivers’ championship now two points behind his team mate, George Russell.

The seven times world champion, once the master of the one lap qualifying has endured a miserable year as his team mate has out qualified him 17-9 across both Sprint and Grand Prix events. Russell too suffered a 32 point swing to Lewis when at the Belgium Grand Prix he was disqualified for his car being underweight in post race scrutineering.

With just three race weekends remaining before the season reaches its conclusion should Hamilton finish behind Russell it will be the first time in his career he has been beaten by a team mate over the course of their partnership. Signs of decline are starting to appear and Ferrari must wonder just what they have let themselves in for… READ MORE