Belgian GP agrees new F1 rotational deal until 2031

The Belgian Grand Prix will remain on the Formula 1 calendar for four of its six years, starting in 2026, until 2031, thanks to a new contract.

It is F1’s first agreement of this kind, which looks to adapt new events to an already busy schedule.

The contract dictates that the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit will host races in 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031.

However, in 2028 and 2030 Belgium will be replaced by another race.

Details on which other locations will switch locations with Spa are not yet known.

Barcelona, in Spain, and Imola, in Italy, both want to keep their races, even though they are out of contract after this year.

Starting in the following year, a new circuit in Madrid will replace the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the venue for the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Dutch Grand Prix’s contract expires in 2026, but Dutch Grand Prix organizers may want to revive it. F1 is also looking into possible ways to re-invent the French and German championships.

France is the birthplace of motorsport, while Germany is also one of the oldest venues, but both have become unviable in recent seasons.

Germany hasn’t hosted a race since 2019 and France returned to the schedule in 2018 but lost interest in it after 2022.

A return of the Turkish Grand Prix, last held in 2021 after returning to the calendar in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, is also an option.

F1 has the option of adding new races outside of the sport’s European heartland, which currently accounts for about one-third of the calendar, thanks to the rotation of European races.

F1 is working on a race in Rwanda, in central Africa, on a new circuit being built outside the capital Kigali, which will not happen before 2028 at the earliest.

Thailand may decide to start a race, but that won’t likely happen until 2030. The prospects of a return of South Korea to the calendar, which had been explored in both Seoul and Busan, are diminishing.

As we approach the 75th anniversary year of our team’s 75th anniversary, F1 President Stefano Domenicali stated: “As one of the races that made up our first championship in 1950, it is fitting that we can share the news of this significant extension.

Spa-Francorchamps has hosted some incredible moments over its many seasons in Formula 1 and is lauded by drivers and fans alike as one of the best race tracks in the world.

“I want to thank the promoter and the government of Wallonia for their commitment and unwavering support for F1 in Belgium,” the promoter said in a statement. “In recent years, it has undergone significant work to improve the facility and overall fan experience.

Last year brought F1’s longest ever season, at 24 races, a schedule that continues this year, which starts in Australia on 14-16 March.

The team’s contracts with F1 dictate a maximum of 25 races a year.