Spa organisers satisfied, but traffic chaos remains afterwards

The Formula 1 organisation was proud to announce on Sunday that Spa-Francochamps will remain on the calendar in 2023. A great relief for the people responsible for the circuit, who invested many millions to give Spa a facelift.

So Spa remains, as does the chaos afterwards. Het Laatste Nieuws writes that also this year the traffic chaos afterwards was huge. It sometimes took up to four hours to leave one of the many car parks. According to the newspaper, this caused enormous irritation among the visitors, who moreover sometimes got into fistfights.

On the motorway, too, there were problems. "The circuit is not surrounded by six motorways right at the exit, so of course it is difficult. Moreover, there were two accidents that added about 45 minutes to the traffic time," said circuit director Vanessa Maes to Belga news agency. "Nevertheless, I would like to emphasise the very good cooperation with the federal police. We also received feedback from people who found access to the circuit easier than in previous years."

Maes looks back on the event with satisfaction. She says she was congratulated from many sides, including by F1 boss Stefano Domenicali. "I am quite a reserved person, but I think I can say we had a very good GP. According to some, it was one of the best, if not the best for years. I want to thank everyone involved because we wanted to show what we were capable of. In the end we had a great GP with a fantastic atmosphere and many spectators."