Schumacher's Return Boosts Ticket Sales at Spa-Francorchamps

Michael Schumacher's return to Formula One racing has certainly arose a great deal of interest for racing fans Europe-wide. And it's not like we didn't expect it or anything, as the confirmation of his F1 comeback was probably the best thing that happened to Bernie Ecclestone's sport throughout the 2009 season.

While still waiting for the Valencia ticketing agency to give us an update on how will Schu's return affect the presence of the Formula One fans at the harbour-side street circuit, it has been announced that the Belgium Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps will most likely be raced full-house.

According to the Belga news agency, no less than 35,000 tickets were sold immediately after Schumacher announced his return to racing – last Wednesday. To be more specific, a spokesperson quoted by the aforementioned source revealed that the Belgian organizers are selling “a ticket per minute” for the race at Spa.

Considering this turn of events, the organizers are expecting the tickets to sell out before the beginning of the race, meaning at least 70,000 fans present at Spa. Last year, the attendance for the Belgium Grand Prix, one of the most spectacular races in the 2008 season, was only 50,000.

Of course, there are a number of reasons that may have worked together to secure some full grandstands in Belgium. First of all, there is no more French GP this year in Formula One, so a large number of tickets will most likely go to the French fans.

Secondly, there is the Michael Schumacher interview for Shell Ferrari last month, in which the German ace revealed Spa is one of his favorite tracks of all time. When asked about it, Schu referred to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit as being his own “living room.”