The historic Belgian Grand Prix will be axed from the 2023 Formula 1 calendar to make room for a return to South Africa, according to a report.
Details of next season's schedule are yet to be formally announced, though there are some features that have already been made public. F1 heads to Las Vegas for the first time since botched races in the car park at Caesars Palace in the 1980s, while the sport's bosses have expressed a desire to spread to more corners of the globe.
It was reported last month that there are talks to return to South Africa, to run a race at Kyalami for the first time in 30 years. And fresh information suggests it will be on the 2023 calendar, with high-profile races in Europe being cut to make room.
According to de Telegraaf, F1 bosses are planning to run 24 races next year, which would be a new record for the sport. And with new venues being added to freshen up the schedule, the Belgian and French Grands Prix are set to be axed.
The race at Spa-Francorchamps has been run since before the F1 world championship was established, and has missed only six years since 1950. The only way that number might avoid becoming seven is if talks break down over the Kyalami race, with Belgium potentially getting a one-year contract extension if that is the case.
That total number of Grands Prix might still come down to 23, dependent on whether or not it is possible to run a race in China. The sport has been absent ever since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, having been unable to return over strict rules that are still in force in the Asian country.
While the looming axe is bad news for Belgium and France, it is a reprieve for the Monaco Grand Prix. The historic race in the principality has lost much of its glamour and prestige in the modern era, and the track is considered too narrow for today's big and bulky F1 cars.
Its current contract also expires this year, leading to speculation that the Monaco race would be the one axed if F1 bosses needed to make room on the schedule. According to this report, though, the principality looks set to remain "if an agreement is reached on extending the contract".
Elsewhere, the season is set to start once again in Bahrain, with March 5 the given date for the curtain-raiser. That will be followed by races in Saudi Arabia and Australia, as was the case at the start of the current campaign.
The report adds that F1 chiefs "want to put together a more logical calendar" after criticism over the logistical demands of adding more races. For example, if possible, they hope to arrange the Miami Grand Prix so that it is immediately followed by the race in Canada – a much shorter trip than heading elsewhere.
