Possible major F1 venue shake-up in the cards?

Events at several long-time tracks, including legendary Monaco and maybe even Mexico, could soon be history -- and there's more potentially on the horizon

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has recently given several interviews regarding the future of F1 circuits, and has not been shy in affirming that the series priorities are A) money and B) expanding worldwide.

Tradition and existing fan support do not appear to be part of the equation.

With a tactic similar to American sport franchises, by using threats of relocation to negotiate more lucrative deals, Domenicali has put the sport’s long-standing venues on notice. In a recent interview with Martin Brundle, he stated "There are some promoters who have expiring agreements, and probably some of the current grands prix will no longer be part of the calendar."

In a separate interview he added, "It is no longer enough to have a pedigree. You also have to show that you are up to date."

How serious is Domenicali? Consider this: four locations (France, Belgium, Mexico, and Monaco), all of which sport long a long history in F1 and are huge fan favorites, do not have contracts beyond 2022.

While the aura surrounding the iconic Monaco race might be too much for even series owner Liberty Media to consider abandoning, the same may not hold true for Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Spa is considered as both one of the most historic venues, and one of the best tracks for racing on the calendar, but it appears F1 is looking for more.

After a rain-drenched 2021 event that produced a “race” which consisted of the drivers circling the behind the safety car for three laps, F1 and the facility were faced with the anger of those who attended. Fans waited hours in the cold, wet weather (many sitting on grass), and had to deal with parking facilities which consisted of fields that had turned to mud, resulting in stuck cars and hours long traffic jams.

While you might expect those who had survived the experience to receive refunds for their ticket purchases, such was not forthcoming from facility owners who had already suffered losses due to the pandemic-related cancelation of the 2020 event. Instead, fans were merely offered the opportunity to enter a drawing for 1 of 170 tickets for the 2022 race, attendance at a non-race day “special event” and a free year of F1 TV.

Series owner Liberty does need to deal with this type of headache – not when next year is expected to bring the return of racing in China, resumption of the Qatar GP following a year off for the World Cup, and a very possible third race in the United States, likely to be held in Las Vegas. If Las Vegas does happen in 2023, it would require elimination of at least one current race to avoid exceeding the current limit of 24 set by the Concorde Agreement.

Among the events without contracts for next year, all has been quiet on the Mexico front. While Mexico does not have a dictator willing to throw millions of dollars Liberty’s way, it does have the advantage of location, being part of a now traditional fall trip to the Americas, located between Texas and Brazil.

But the lack of discussion may not be a good sign for the country.

Liberty knows the best way to get more money from a venue is to threaten to leave (just ask the city of Miami), but while some bemoan what they feel is a likely departure from Spa, it would seem more likely this is merely a negotiation tactic.

France is seen even more likely as a target for elimination, but French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed support for keeping the sport in his country. France has a history going back to the sport’s earliest days, and is the home country of F1 constructor Alpine as well as two drivers (not that similar factors were able to save now-departed Germany).

Should France and Belgium come up with enough Euros to satisfy Liberty, it may very well be Mexico that’s on the chopping block for next year. Should that happen, look for the same game to be played in two years with Silverstone, Monza, Japan and Brazil.

Ratings bonanza:

In 2016 then-F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone expressed disdain for expanding in the United States, perhaps due to a less than stellar personal opinion of North America in general. But the sale to United States based corporation Liberty, followed by the success of the Netflix series Drive to Survive has brought huge growth to the sport in America.

The latest barometer of success is the television rating for last Sunday’s season opener in Bahrain, showing that 1.5 million viewers had tuned in by the end of the race.

ESPN is looking to extend its contract, which currently runs to the end of the current season. However, the increase in viewership (averaging a mere 671,000 in 2019, prior to their previous three-year deal), could bring other players to the competition, including former rights-holder NBC or even Netflix themselves.