In 2023 we witnessed one of the longest seasons in the history of the sport.
There were 23 races scheduled at the start of the season.
Due to the cancellation of Imola as well as China, there ended up being 22 however, it was confirmed earlier this year that there will be a record 24 races next year.
Now, is this a good or a bad thing?
Without a doubt, fans love to see cars on track. The more races there are, the more racing we get to see. Despite this being a good thing for fans, the travelling is bound to take a toll on the teams and drivers.
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
‘I don’t think its sustainable’
Commenting on the increasing number of races Mercedes driver, George Russell said:
“I don’t think it’s sustainable for 4,000 people to do 24 races a season, especially when you see how geographically it still doesn’t make a huge amount of sense.”
Travelling can be hard. Not just drivers but the people who make up the teams too. Formula One is one of the only sports that is hosted in countries around the world.
This makes it exciting for fans and visually appealing and of course. The different types of tracks and the climate of these different countries affect the racing for different teams’ cars.
F1 would like to reach net zero carbon by 2030. The introduction of sustainable fuels and limitations on car parts will be key to achieving this.
With this ever-growing calendar, many people question if this is possible. As time goes on the logistics behind the F1 race calendar will become more evident.
The FIA are trying to regionally group races to reduce the travel time between races. When this happens we could see an improvement in the goals the FIA have set.
Paddock fatigue
George Russell previous comments about fatigue in the garage are alarming :
“Everybody up and down the paddock, I’ve got so many mechanics who are ill, people in the engineers’ office, just really struggling with the constant time zone shifts, the body not knowing where you are, eating at different times, staying in different hotels, different environments, different climates.”
Having a long F1 race calendar can be draining on teams. However, with the FIA set out to regionalise the races, in the future, a long race calendar may work.
If drivers and mechanics are becoming tired this could also affect performances from the teams and drivers. Although the amount of racing is what attracts us as fans the teams and drivers are still human.
Russell also stated: “The body’s getting confused. There are talks for next year about personnel being regulated so that they can’t do every single race. I think that would be a good thing.”
The race calendar will never please everyone. From a fan perspective, we want to see more races and more time with cars on track, however, the thought that drivers aren’t performing to the best of their ability due to this might force the FIA to do something about it.
Do we need more?
Now the topic of sprint races can always be a controversial one.
In 2024 there will be six sprint races for the season. This is one less than last year, however still a few more compared to the three we had in 2022.
We will see China and Miami hosting their first sprint race weekends, with Brazil, a popular track, returning for the 2024 season.
Qatar and Austin are also on the 2024 lineup with their second time hosting a sprint race weekend and of course, Austria is back for its third run.
There was debate in 2023 about the benefits of sprint weekends with their being support on both sides.
However with an exciting variety of tracks next season we should get some exciting racing on Saturdays to keep ourselves entertained.
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.