Should Spa and the French GP at Paul Ricard alternate?

[zyphro]

Someone obviously did build Spa though - it isn't a forest path honed and refined over millennia by migrating deer.

It's a great track and deserves its place but doesn't always produce the best races in any given year.

Obviously it was built; I'm saying you won't find a GP of this nature like you can with generic tracks such as Valencia.

"but doesn't always produce the best races in any given year", it's one of the few driver challenging tracks left on the calender; it deserves its spot easily.

[Crucial_Xtreme]

I wouldn't mind seeing both GP's every year. But most certainly keep Spa. I would vote to ditch Valencia for Paul Ricard. But I don't have any desire to see them alternate, as I think Spa should always be a permanent fixture on the F1 calendar

[bhall]

Singapore's Today newspaper is quoting Bernie Ecclestone saying that a new five year Singapore GP deal has been agreed until the end of 2017. The news comes in the same week that the iconic Spa circuit is believed to have struck a three-year deal safeguarding the Belgian GP until the end of 2015.

On the Singapore deal, which had been in some doubt over the sanctioning fee, Today quotes Ecclestone: "Everything that was in the way of the Singapore Grand Prix continuing for another five years has been cleared. I'm happy that this is out of the way because Singapore has been good to F1 and the night race has also been equally good for Singapore."

It is understood that the official announcement will be made at a time decided by the Singapore government, with this year's race due to be held on September 23 at the conclusion of the European season.

In Belgium, meanwhile, Jean-Claude Marcourt, economics minister for the Wallonia region, told national broadcaster RTBF that an agreement bas been reached which secures the Belgian GP until the end of 2015.

Initial plans to alternate Spa with a reinstated French GP, at Paul Ricard, appear to have bitten the dust following the change of government in France.

Marcourt said: "We were able to negotiate a contract extension for 2013, 2014 and 2015. What I wanted to do was to reduce the size of the expenditure budget for the Walloon region and I would say that we have accomplished the mission.

"There was no way we could continue to lose as much money as we had been."

Excellent.

[Hail22]

Now all that is needed is drop a Tilkedrome...and replace it with this magnificent gem!


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODUW_2K6 ... re=related[/youtube]

[ds.raikkonen]

The thickly wooded Ardennes have given the world plenty of excitement over the last century or so now and it still continues in the form of the amazing Belgian GP every year, I love every corner of that track, pity they changed the bus-stop chicane. I don't care about the French GP, Spa is an amazing track, it deserves two races every year =D> (Hungary and/or Singapore can be removed )

[Nando]

.... please delete mod sorry.

[f1316]

You've got to keep Spa every year, I think; if you've got one track that is pretty universally aclaimed as the best (maybe a few would say Suzuka), I think there's a duty to keep it. I do think that the end of the circuit has been ruined a bit by changing the bus stop chicane, but otherwise it's still a great track.

However, I think it's also ridiculous not to have a French GP, considering France's history in the sport. I'd love to see the modern cars at Ricard, but I also loved Magny Cours, so both would be fine by me.

Obviously it's all about money, but surely there is a certain amount of cost saving for teams to have more races in the easier-to-get-to "European season"? If they can save money by putting France after Monaco and before Valencia, that would seem to make sense from a logisitical point of view, rather than an isolated trip to Canada. Not that I'm advocating getting rid of Montreal, just putting it in there with the US and Brazil Gps. If Korea's on the way out, perhaps that is the one that could be sacrificed.

[SeijaKessen]

You've got to keep Spa every year, I think; if you've got one track that is pretty universally aclaimed as the best (maybe a few would say Suzuka), I think there's a duty to keep it. I do think that the end of the circuit has been ruined a bit by changing the bus stop chicane, but otherwise it's still a great track.

However, I think it's also ridiculous not to have a French GP, considering France's history in the sport. I'd love to see the modern cars at Ricard, but I also loved Magny Cours, so both would be fine by me.

Obviously it's all about money, but surely there is a certain amount of cost saving for teams to have more races in the easier-to-get-to "European season"? If they can save money by putting France after Monaco and before Valencia, that would seem to make sense from a logisitical point of view, rather than an isolated trip to Canada. Not that I'm advocating getting rid of Montreal, just putting it in there with the US and Brazil Gps. If Korea's on the way out, perhaps that is the one that could be sacrificed.

I agree with you on the loss of the bus stop chicane. That is one change to Spa that really, really, irks me to no end. But, Spa still is fantastic thankfully.

I wonder when we will see a French GP again. We really need to eliminate one of the third world GP's for Paul Ricard. I think Paul Ricard, assuming the Mistral Straight is in play, is much better than Magny Cours.