New calendar deal could bring top-level racing back to the Greywater Ring

A proposed agreement between the organizers of the leading open-wheel racing championship and a group of circuit owners could reshape the calendar from the season after next, and bring top-level racing back to the Greywater Ring for the first time in nearly two decades.

Under the plan, presented to teams this week, the championship would keep its number of races at 24 but reserve four places for circuits that would host a race every other year. Eight venues would share those slots in rotation. The Greywater Ring, the mountain circuit in the Northern Region, is understood to be one of ten candidates.

Why rotate

Organizers face a growing queue of cities and circuits wanting a race, while teams have warned that the calendar cannot grow further without exhausting their staff. Pit crews, whose tire changes now take barely two seconds, already spend more than 200 days a year on the road.

We cannot add races, so we have to share them. Rotation is the fairest way to keep historic tracks and welcome new ones.

Claire Duval, commercial director of the championship

Teams are broadly supportive, provided the races are grouped by region to cut travel. “If rotation means fewer long flights back and forth, our mechanics will be the first to applaud,” said the principal of one midfield team, who asked not to be named because talks are ongoing.

Greywater’s chances

The circuit’s owners have invested around 60 million euros in recent years in a new pit building, wider run-off areas and a modern medical center. The track now holds the top safety grade required to host the championship.

“We have done everything that was asked of us,” said circuit director Matej Horvat. “The mountains, the crowds, the history: we think we offer something the calendar is missing.”

The government has said it could guarantee part of the hosting fee, which industry sources put at between 25 and 35 million euros a year. The opposition Progress Party has demanded a study showing whether the race would pay off for the region.

What happens next

The championship’s governing council is expected to vote on the rotation framework before the end of the year. The list of venues would follow in the spring, with the first rotating races appearing on the calendar the season after next.