Zoom One of many traditional venues struggling to make grand prix viable

It has emerged that the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, held at iconic Spa Francorchamps, made a loss of more than €5m.

As a local court ruling relating to noise threatens the circuit's operating licence, race organisers were already considering alternating the grand prix with the Nurburgring at the end of its contract in 2012.

The Belga news agency reports this week that the 2009 event, attended on race day by just over 50,000 spectators and won by Kimi Raikkonen, cost Spa €5.134m.

"(Race organiser Etienne) Davignon should come to us with concrete proposals to achieve financial balance so that (the grand prix) is viable," said Jean-Claude Marcourt, the economics minister of the regional government of Wallonia.

Source: GMM
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