Oscar Piastri doesn’t want F1 to drop more historical tracks

McLaren star Oscar Piastri says it’s important for Formula 1 to “preserve history” and ensure enough classic tracks remain on the calendar.

Last weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix likely saw F1’s final visit to the legendary Imola circuit for the foreseeable future, with the circuit’s contract with the series coming to an end.

Although people involved in the promotion of the race expressed confidence that a new deal could be reached earlier this month, F1 boss Stefano Domenicali has made it clear that it’s hard to justify hosting two races in Italy when there is so much interest from new countries to be a part of the show.

Imola’s situation is similar to some other European circuits, with Zandvoort dropping out of the calendar after 2026 and Spa-Francorchamps agreeing to a rotational deal that would see it being absent from the F1 schedule in 2028 and ‘30.

Some other classic venues like Hockenheim and Nurburgring have been long dropped by F1 to make way for new circuits - often street venues in nations that have a limited culture of motor racing.

Describing the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari as one of his favourite race tracks in the world, world championship leader Piastri warned F1 against moving away from traditional venues.

“It’s a great circuit,” he said of Imola. “I’ve only raced here once [before 2025], but it’s definitely towards the top end of my favourites.

“Having two races in the same country, with how many bids we have from around the world, maybe doesn’t make that much sense anymore. And when you have Monza as your second race in Italy, it’s pretty hard not to go to Monza. There’d be some riots if we didn’t!

“So for me, we just need to be careful to preserve the history. Zandvoort is going, Spa is going to be on rotation, which I’m not the happiest about. We just need to be careful not to lose these historical tracks.

“OK, maybe it’s not the best track to race on — not the best for overtaking — but in terms of the ultimate experience of driving an F1 car, this is at the top of the list. We need to be mindful of that.”

Newly-recruited Alpine driver Franco Colapinto also highlighted the joy of driving on an old-school track like Imola, whose layout is very different to some of the newer venues designed by Hermann Tilke.

“I love Imola. I love Italy. I have some great memories and great history here. I started in Monza — that was my debut in Formula 1 — and now it's Imola. Still in Italy, but with Alpine. I love Imola. It’s a great track with a massive history in Formula 1. We all like coming here.

“The history this brings to the sport, it’s a great track, and especially to drive a Formula 1 car here. There are specific corners — it’s such an old-school track, it’s very enjoyable to drive.”