With Spa’s future as a grand prix venue in doubt, BEN EDWARDS admits that not everyone will be disappointed if it is removed from the calendar.
The prospect of the Belgian Grand Prix no longer serving as the annual kickoff for the second half of the Formula One season depresses me. The current layout first appeared on the calendar in 1983, just as I was getting into motorsport, and it blew me away with its speeds, dips, climbs, and forested borders. Winning a one-make series race there ten years later gave me a huge boost.
However, not everyone feels the same way about Spa. John Watson, my former co-commentator and five-time GP winner, raced for McLaren there in 1983, when it hosted a grand prix for the first time since 1970. He had high hopes for the track, which had been rebuilt from an 8.7-mile road course built between the wars.
