A “very different” Belgian Grand Prix in 2022 is “useful to know”, admits Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali.
The future of the race at Spa Francorchamps was a big talking point going into the weekend, amid speculation it would be dropped after this year.
On Sunday morning, however, F1 confirmed the Belgian GP would continue in 2023 as a return to South Africa appears to have been postponed until 2024.
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Of course, with only a one-year contract extension, there are still questions as to whether there’s a full-time place for Spa on the calendar in the medium and long term.
But hopes may have been boosted as Domenicali appeared impressed by changes made by the organisers to improve the off-track experience.
“I have to say they have prepared this weekend in an incredible way,” he was quoted by The Race.
“[Thursday] there was a special day with the drivers and fans, we have opened that to recover what has happened last year [after the 2021 washout], also in terms of traffic plan they have presented to us a very interesting proposition.
“We have seen them in a very, very different approach this year, that is very useful to know and very important.”
Domenicali also couldn’t ignore the love and interest for the Belgian GP, with 360,000 fans flocking to the Ardennes across the weekend.
“You’ve seen the investment they did. You see the number of people that are coming here… Incredible crowd, incredible attention to the people, and this is great. Great I think for the sport,” the Italian noted.
“We always said that the race is a part of our tradition, and it has a very important space in our calendar, and this is a fact that we wanted to share in this moment.”