As 2021 Belgian Grand Prix racegoers are told they will not be offered refunds, Bahrain is in line to host the first F1 Sprint of the new season and tickets are already selling out for 2022 races. Here’s a round up of all the latest calendar news!
2021 Belgian Grand Prix tickets will not be refunded
The Belgian Grand Prix failed to get underway in 2021, with poor weather conditions meaning that the race comprised of only a handful of laps run behind the Safety Car. Despite calls for refunds to compensate fans at the circuit, it has emerged that no refunds will be offered for the event.
Instead, fans have been offered compensation in the form of entry into a prize draw, with a chance of winning one of 170 grandstand tickets. Spectators will also be offered a free F1 TV subscription for the 2022 season.
Images via Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Meanwhile, work on revisions to the Spa Francorchamps track are well underway. Old grandstands have been removed as safety improvements are made to the section of track between Eau Rouge and Raidillon.
Catalunya renovations underway
Images via Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Spa isn’t the only circuit receiving a facelift this winter. Work is also in progress at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, home of the Spanish Grand Prix.
The run-off area at Turn 4 has been expanded, with new safety barriers being added to the perimeter of the circuit. Meanwhile, construction is also ongoing in the paddock area. A double hydrocarbon separator has been installed to help with drainage as the circuit looks to fulfil its commitment to sustainability.
The first three days of 2022 F1 pre-season testing is scheduled to take place at the venue on February 23-25. It is expected to take place behind closed doors.
Bahrain outer loop to host first F1 Sprint in 2022?
There’s set to be six Sprint events in Formula 1’s 2022 season – though it’s yet to be decided whether the races will set the grid for the Grand Prix or be standalone events. Bahrain, Imola, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the Red Bull Ring, Zandvoort and Interlagos are the tracks at which the events are expected to take place.
According to Autosport, the first sprint race of the season could be held on the shorter and faster Outer Loop layout of Bahrain International Circuit. Though the season-opening Grand Prix – along with its practice and qualifying sessions – would still take place on the traditional layout of the track, it’s believed that switching the track to the Outer Loop for Saturday’s action is an option.
Domenicali denies London Grand Prix rumours
In November, fresh rumours emerged of a potential Grand Prix being held in the British capital, London. A rumoured location for a new circuit was said to be under consideration in the docklands area of the city. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has now denied those rumours, telling Standard Sport that he is “not here to sell something that is not realistic”. Domenicali also said that if F1 was to host a “prestigious” London Grand Prix, it would take place “in the heart of the city”.
2022 Canadian Grand Prix tickets in very high demand
Grandstand tickets for the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix are said to have sold out with the local promoter in just 90 minutes. Formula 1 is set to return to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the first time since 2019, as the coronavirus pandemic saw both the 2020 and 2021 Montreal races cancelled. Many ticket categories for the event have already sold out. A limited number of hospitality tickets and packages are still available from our ticket partners Grand Prix Tickets and F1 Experiences.
British Grand Prix General Admission sold out
Following a record high attendance figure of 356,000 in 2021, Silverstone looks set to welcome more fans for the British Grand Prix in 2022. Sunday and 3-day General Admission tickets for the event have now sold out. It’s the earliest point at which they have done so in recent memory.
Interest in the event is likely to have been heightened by the dramatic title decider in Abu Dhabi, which aired on free-to-air television in the United Kingdom, plus British driver George Russell’s arrival at Mercedes. Some fans also transferred their 2021 tickets forward to 2022, opting not to attend the 2021 race, which was held as part of a government trial. The 2022 British Grand Prix weekend is scheduled to take place on July 1-3.
2021’s attendance figures exceed 2 million
In the second year of the coronavirus pandemic, Formula 1’s weekend attendance figures exceeded two million. While three early-season races went ahead with no fans in attendance, the United States Grand Prix was the best attended race of the season. The total spectator numbers for the Circuit of The Americas race was 400,000 – a new record for the largest ever 3-day weekend attendance at a Formula 1 weekend.
Macron wants new French Grand Prix deal
French president Emmanuel Macron has expressed his support for the French Grand Prix to remain on the Formula 1 calendar. He says that the government must do its best to “protect the Grand Prix of France as much as possible”.
Circuit Paul Ricard’s contract to host the event ends after the 2022 race, meaning that the country could be without a Grand Prix once again in 2023. The French Grand Prix returned to the calendar in 2018 following a ten-year absence.
Could the Nurburgring return to F1?
Circuit bosses at the legendary Nurburgring circuit in Germany say they are “willing to talk” about Formula 1 returning to the track. It comes after Stefano Domenicali said that he would “talk to the promoters and other interested parties in Germany at the beginning of 2022” about F1 returning to the country.
The Nurburgring last hosted Formula 1 in 2020, with the Eifel Grand Prix joining the calendar as a one-off event amid the pandemic. It was previously a regular on the calendar, having hosted both the European and German Grands Prix, plus the one-off Luxembourg Grand Prix in 1997. Meanwhile, the German Grand Prix was last held in 2019 at the Hockenheimring.
Would you like to see F1 return to Germany? Which circuits do you think should host Sprint Qualifying events in 2022? Leave a comment below!
Hi there,
I would really like to take my partner to Imola for the race in April, however there is still no news of when tickets will be on sale – and heard potentially it might still be restricted numbers/no spectators…
Don’t want to book up flights and hotels without knowing, but time obviously getting on! Do you have any latest information?
Many thanks
Hi Stephen, I’m hoping to attend the race at Imola as well. I’ve only reserved accommodation at this stage, and it’s refundable in case the race is closed to the public. I’m expecting that tickets will be available, though capacity restrictions are likely. Hopefully we will hear more in the next few weeks.