F1 CEO slams ‘arrogant’ historical circuits seeking privileged spot in calendar

Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Scuderia Ferrari SF90 leads the field up Eau Rouge - Raidillon at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on September 01, 2019 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Historical F1 circuits could be in potential danger after CEO Stefano Domenicali's warning about their arrogance to have a permanent place on the Formula 1 calendar in the future.

According to the Italian, races and circuits matter only when there is something to look ahead to, and just because they have a long history with the sport does not make it one of the reasons to keep them on the calendar.

PlanetF1 quoted Domenicali:

"I'm always saying to our promoters, when historic is only looking behind, that is something that is not good. When historic [races have] a good foundation to look ahead with a different future, that's beautiful. So that's why with the so-called historical Grands Prix, we are really focusing on understanding what is the view of the future."

He also called out the promoters to be 'arrogant' if they feel they have permanence on the Formula 1 calendar solely because they have been organizing races for the past decades. He added:

"To be arrogant and believe that you have a guaranteed future because you have raced for 100 years, to be very honest, is not enough."

Recently, historical circuits such as the Autodromo Nazionale Monza (Italy) and Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) have been under threat with F1's recent move to newer cities to host Grand Prixes.

The German Grand Prix has already bid farewell to the sport in recent years, and with the recent speculation, Spa could be in potential danger of losing its place after this season.

F1 CEO warns race promoters 'we are not playing games'

Stefano Domenicali stated that F1 is very transparent about the terms proposed to the circuits to remain on the calendar, and if they are unable to fulfill those 'criteria,' they could lose their spot on the calendar. He said:

"Everyone is understanding [of] that. We are not playing any games, we are very transparent with them. If they want to be on the calendar they need to do the things that we believe are right for them and also for us as Formula 1."

There has been speculation about the introduction of new racing venues such as a London Grand Prix, and with F1's increasing interest in the United States and the Middle East, the historical European circuits could be left behind.

A possible return of the South African GP at the Kyalami Circuit has also been in the reports, and it is said that it could replace the Belgian GP, which only has a contract for this season.