Formula 1 bosses are facing a surge in requests for new locations to hold races as Qatar and possibly Las Vegas become permanent from next year.
This is because the number of grands prix held each season is rapidly approaching 25, the maximum number allowed by the Pact of Concord.
But while there is some leeway to expand the number of races without eliminating any of the current grands prix, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali reckons some of the existing venues will have to make way for new ones.
That could mean that they are removed from the schedule entirely, or that their appearances rotate with other venues.
Domenicali spoke to some media outlets in Bahrain, including Motorsport.com, and when asked if the new additions to the calendar had prompted F1 to think about replacing some races, he said “actually the process has already started. “.
“There are some promoters who have expiring deals, and probably some of the current grands prix will no longer be part of the calendar. Others will remain, but in a different way, for example rotating between different circuits.
“The decisions we’re making will be announced soon, and you can look forward to some great new prizes. However, it’s still not easy to plan everything in advance.”
“If we take, for example, China, we will have to try to understand what the situation will be regarding the COVID issue in the future, as we did last year in the face of 2022.”
While some of the current venues have secured long-term contracts, such as Bahrain, which announced a new deal until 2036 in February, others are still under discussion. France, Monaco, Belgium and Mexico have not yet made possible agreements public beyond this year.
The future of the French GP is the most uncertain, despite recent encouraging words of support from the country’s president, Emmanuel Macron, while Domenicali suggests that traditional venues – like Monaco and Spa – cannot assume that their seats are guaranteed.
“We know that we have to balance the arrival of new races with historic grands prix, and circuits that must remain part of our calendar,” he said.
“The arrival of offers from new promoters has an advantage for the F1 platform, and it is forcing the organizers of the traditional grand prix to raise their level of quality, in terms of what they offer to the public, and the infrastructure and management of the event”.
“It is no longer enough to have a pedigree. You also have to show that you are up to date.”
A reshuffle of the calendar could see some countries miss out on their only grands prix, but Domenicali sees no problem with potentially three grands prix in the United States, with Las Vegas very likely joining Miami and Austin from next year.
“The interest that Formula 1 is receiving today in the United States has never been seen before,” he said.
“It would be a mistake if we didn’t take advantage of this opportunity and we are trying to understand how to deal with this growth.
“There is also a lot of interest in the Far East. Guanyu Zhou’s arrival in Formula 1 is attracting attention and we are not surprised.”
“Beyond Ferrari, in the end it is the drivers who make the interest in this sport grow in their countries. We have seen it in Brazil, in Spain and there are many other examples”.
“From China we have had new requests to host a grand prix, and Zhou has not yet contested his first race,” concluded Domenicali.
