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There has been speculation of the South African F1 GP making a return in 2024, but that also endangers one of the most iconic and historic circuits on the calendar right now: the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium.
It has been reported that the Kyalami Circuit, previously the host of the F1 South African GP, will make a return to the sport after almost three decades of absence.
It has been said that it is one of the things the sport has been working towards since Stefano Domenicali was appointed as the CEO, and as it has been said, Formula 1 is close to reaching a deal with the organizers. GPBlog quoted:
"Kyalami is not the promoter of the event, but the circuit that would enter the calendar with a promoter that wants to host a GP. They will negotiate with different individuals, including the Government, to have a good model to follow. Negotiations continue and we are optimistic about that we can reach an agreement to have Formula 1 already in 2024."
However, this could mean that one of the pre-existing tracks would have to bid farewell, and the apparent one seems to be the historic Belgian Grand Prix host, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. The track was thought to be canceled after the 2022 race, however, on race day itself, it was announced that a contract for the 2023 season had been signed.
However, the contract was signed only for this particular season, and the future of the Grand Prix remains uncertain.
Spa-Francorchamps hosts optimistic about the track's presence on the F1 calendar post-2023
Although it seems likely that the Kyalami Circuit will replace the Belgian GP circuit, the hosts of the latter are pretty much sure of maintaining their permanency in the sport.
Apparently, there had been some issues with the safety on the circuit, but changes have been made and they feel that Spa-Francorchamps might not be replaced. Vanessa Maes, director of the circuit mentioned:
"Now I am much more optimistic than a year ago. A delegation from F1 came this month, they were there for two days to take a look at what we have changed at the circuit to make the next Grand Prix an even bigger success than in 2022."
"We are convinced that Francorchamps now fully complies with the F1 specifications. We have fulfilled all the conditions and a new meeting with the F1 people is scheduled soon."
Along with these changes, it is also expected that the calendar next year will see some modifications. The Japanese Grand Prix is expected to be held in March instead of October. This could be positive in terms of racing since the weather is much clearer at that time than the overcast experienced in October.
