Gerard Lopez still interested in Spa

As the option of alternation seems to definitively be the number 1 option to preserve a Belgian Grand Prix beyond 2012 (the year the contract between Spa-Francorchamps and the FOM ends), Gérard Lopez has reaffirmed his interest in the Ardennes rollercoaster.

Spa is a great circuit and we could do great things with it. We could develop it with the Walloon Region. So if they are open to discussions with private investors, why not, » explains Lopez in the columns of the Luxembourg newspaper Tageblatt.

But the Walloon Region, which owns the circuit, does not intend to part with it. Pierre-Alain Thibaut, the director of the Belgian circuit, believes that an agreement with a private investor is not feasible. “It’s not possible. The circuit is very important for the entire region from an economic standpoint. Obviously, anything can happen, but for me, it’s not the right solution.”

As a reminder, a meeting was held this weekend between Etienne Davignon, president of Spa Grand Prix, and Bernie Ecclestone to discuss the future of the Belgian round. After this meeting, Davignon stated that alternating was, for him, a step forward compared to not having it anymore, so let’s stop whining about what we prefer and what we can’t afford. A few years ago, it was established that it would be over; today it’s not over, and people say it’s not enough. I would rather it be better. I want things to be clear: we will keep a Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, which was not a given.