Formula 1 has confirmed that the attendance fiꦇgure of 265,000 for last weekend’s Belgian Grand ✤Prix is a new record for the race.

Boosted by significant interest from Dutch fans following Max Verstappen’s arrival in F1, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps has bucked the trend of declining crowd figures at European grands prix🌊 in recent years.

An estimated 80,000 fan🥃s made the trip acrಌoss the border from the Netherlands to watch Verstappen race, only for the Red Bull driver to retire early due to an engine issue.

F1 announced after the race that 265,000 fans had graced Spa across the three-day race weekend, marking a new ꦏrecord for the grand prix.

“It’s been a busy and exciting weekend for all of Formula 1 and I think the thousands of spectators at this amazing circuit, as well as the millions that watched on television and online, all enjoyed the show and saw just how spectacuཧlar this sport can be,” F1 motorsports managing director Ross Brawn said.

“It was also a special weekend for me per🐼sonally, as it was a pleasure to be able to pass on the congratulations of the Schumacher family, in addition to my own, to Lewis Hamilton after he equalled Michae🌃l’s outright record of pole positions.

“It was also wonderful to see Michael’s so♋n Mick, driving his father’s Benetton on the circuit where he sc൲ored the first of his 91 Formula 1 wins in 1992: these moments make Formula 1 special.”