The president of the Belgian Grand Prix claims that F1 bosses only want eight European races on the calendar.

His comments come as the Belgian round of the world championship, though having extended its contract, is reduced to being held on a rotational basis, a far cry when the majestic track - much loved by drivers and fans alike - was considered one of the highlights of the season.

As the sport targets richer nations as potential hosts, it is believed that a number of other European events will follow Spa's example and accept being put on rotation, a far cry from 2020 when the sport relied on the continent to host the majority of the races as F1 bosses sought to put together a championship in the midst of the pandemic.

Despite the move, president of the Belgian event, Melchior Wathelet, insists that he is happy with how negotiations with F1 went.

"I am very satisfied," he told Sporza. "These were difficult discussions, Formula 1 only wants 8 GPs in Europe.

"It was therefore difficult to sign a permanent contract for a long period," he added.

"It is not certain that there will be no GP in Belgium in 2028 and 2030," he continued, referring to the years when the Spa event is expected to rotate with Barcelona. "The spirit of the agreement states that there will be at least four races. Maybe it will be up to another country, maybe Belgium."

Asked if the hosting fee had been increased in order that the circuit retain a place on the calendar, he said: "The amount is higher from 2026, but it is an increase of just 3 to 4 percent. We thought that was reasonable.

"It is a reasonable inflation, which we think we can recover," he insisted.

Despite record crowds, the 2024 event saw organisers reveal a loss, which followed years of similar deficits, and while the Walloon government has helped subsidise the event it is seeking to reduce its financial aid.

"The intention is to limit that as much as possible," said Wathelet. "In recent years, their contribution has even decreased, while the return on investment for the region and the country has increased. So that seems to me to be a reasonable investment."