Belgian Grand Prix promoter André Maes has revealed that 70,000 three-day tickets have already been sold for this weekend’s race at Spa-Francorchamps, with Red Bull rising star Max Verstappen clearly a factor in the uptick.
Over 20,000 Dutch fans are expected in the Ardennes to cheer on Formula One’s youngest ever race winner, who incidentally was born in Belgium from a Belgian mother.
Talking to French-langague newspaper La Dernière Heure, Maes explains that the enthusiasm and buzz around Verstappen is similar to the heyday of the Michael Schumacher era.
“70,000 tickets have already been paid,” he said. “I had not seen that since 2001-2002. And I’m talking here about actual figures, about three-day tickets that have been sold.
“It’s not like other events I have worked on for a few years and where there was a big gap between the figures announced and the actual turnout.”
The increase in ticket sales is sure to be welcomed by the Wallonia region, as its government has to cover the deficit of the Belgian Grand Prix every year. The 2015 edition posted a €6.8m (£5.8m) deficit, down from €7.9m (£6.8m) the previous season.
GALLERY: F1 drivers on summer break
How Eric Boullier keeps McLaren on its toes
Pascal Wehrlein interview: The rookie who wants to lead
F1i Classic - Mayhem, monsoon and the mother of all Belgian Grand Prix
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Kimi Antonelli is closing in on a place in Formula 1 history, but one chapter…
Red Bull arrived in Austin riding a wave of momentum, but Friday’s running at the…
The Mexican Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez will always hold a special place…
Adrian Newey has offered a candid assessment of Aston Martin’s challenging first season with Honda,…
Charles Leclerc topped both Friday practice sessions at the Circuit of the Americas, but refused…
Lando Norris concluded Friday’s running at the United States Grand Prix with a familiar frustration:…