SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Formula One has kept the Belgian Grand Prix on the calendar for next year.
F1 said in a statement shortly before Sunday’s race that “the Belgian Grand Prix will be on the 2023 calendar following an agreement to extend our partnership together.”
The Spa-Francorchamps track is one of the most iconic in F1 and one of the seven circuits from the inaugural world championship in 1950. The 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) circuit nestled in the Ardennes forest is also F1′s longest.
But with promoters lining up to benefit from F1’s surge in popularity, Spa’s future was in doubt, especially after the French GP was dropped for next year.
It remains a firm favorite with drivers, with world champion Max Verstappen calling it his favorite track in F1. He and other drivers inisted it should not be axed because of its historic value along with the long-standing Monaco GP.
It is uncertain whether Spa stays in F1 beyond 2023, or if there will be a rotation policy with another circuit so it takes place every other year.
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