Villeneuve voices concern over Formula 1’s move away from Europe, with Spa-Francorchamps serving as evidence of changing financial dynamics.
As the Belgian Grand Prix is set to become a rotating event, Jacques Villeneuve isn’t surprised to see F1 distancing itself from Europe. The 1997 F1 World Champion also acknowledges that Spa-Francorchamps faces issues tied to the current generation of cars.
“There are too many races geographically close to one another. More European venues want to host races, but there’s no room in the calendar. Europe doesn’t generate much money for F1,” Villeneuve told The Action Network.
“The teams want it, the fans want it, but financially, it’s not the most lucrative region for F1. You can’t suddenly remove races in the Middle East, Asia, North America, or new markets that bring in significant revenue and then still plan to expand into Africa.”
“Some markets need to open up, and that may explain the deal regarding Spa. You’re not necessarily cutting the number of European races. As for Spa itself, modern cars have become too large for the circuit. A corner like Eau Rouge is no longer a corner—it’s simply dangerous.”
“Even Pouhon has been taken flat-out once or twice. Blanchimont isn’t even a corner anymore. Cars can go side by side, so they have too much downforce, and those turns have lost their essence, becoming dangerous for the sake of being dangerous without offering real challenges.”
“It’s a shame because it’s a beautiful circuit, very fun to drive. It’s one of my favorites because of the good racing it provides. But I still find it pointless to have a dangerous corner that requires no driving skill.”
Several projects are competing (Rwanda and South Africa) for F1’s return to Africa. Villeneuve would like to see the sport return there but remains skeptical about one project, involving the use of the Kyalami circuit.
“The modern Kyalami track wasn’t very attractive. The old track was fun, but I don’t think it can be recreated today. Half of it no longer exists.”
“There probably need to be two races in Africa, and one should be held elsewhere, somewhere in central Africa. But I don’t know enough about Africa to say where the right location would be. F1 needs more than just a track. It requires infrastructure, hotels, airports—it needs everything around it.”
The Canadian laments the departure of the Dutch Grand Prix after 2026 and expresses concern about European circuits struggling to accommodate F1’s modern popularity: “They’ve made it clear that Zandvoort is ending, which is a shame. I don’t understand because it’s bold, it’s incredible. It’s a great, unique race.”
“What’s fun about Zandvoort is that it’s different from most other tracks. It’s like Monaco. That makes it fun. You need different circuits. When you go to all these modern new circuits, they all look the same, and it becomes very repetitive.”
“You just need to ensure there are hotels with easier access, as that has also become difficult and expensive for the media. Look at Austria. It’s a beautiful race and a great venue, but there aren’t enough hotels. You have to rent a room in a farmhouse, which complicates things with the number of fans we have now.”
Even though Silverstone is currently considered an untouchable event, Villeneuve fears it could eventually face the same fate as others: “Silverstone is complicated. They’ve done an extraordinary job with traffic and the road system. It works really well. It’s surprising.”
“They do an exceptional job every year at Silverstone, but it’s always complicated. We once thought there would always be a German Grand Prix, always a French Grand Prix. Guess what? We can live without them. The difference with Silverstone, in the UK, is that 80% of the teams are based in the region.”
“They apply strong pressure to keep the race in the UK. The problem with old venues is that they aren’t VIP enough, and F1 has taken a major step forward in terms of crowds, guests, hospitality, and dining. That’s not the case with the old circuits.”
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Villeneuve Warns: Europe Losing Its Place in F1 Calendar Villeneuve Warns: Europe Losing Its Place in F1 Calendar Villeneuve Warns: Europe Losing Its Place in F1 Calendar
