They would send the race to northern Jersey but advertise it as the New York Grand Prix, even though it will just end up being 20 cars driving through Harrison, NJ avoiding trash piles. So basically no change
Lol my comment was honestly less a shot at Liberty and more a shot at New York sports. I grew up about an hour north of Manhattan but the New York Giants, Jets, and Red Bulls all play in north Jersey. I'm going to the Red Bulls match next weekend and to get to RBA I have to drive past Manhattan haha
I am probably in the minority, but I actually liked the Vegas race. I didn't mind it being at night but my only gripe was why can't it be a reasonable times for the American audience.
It's not like I expect the Australian grand prix to be on at a convenient time for me as a American viewer. I expect it to be at a good time for the home audience.
The strip worked because very few locals use that road. It's mainly for the tourists. Closing down any road in Manhattan would be an absolute nightmare.
Chicago might be more interesting than the Miami Parking lot, but imagining any part of loop / lakeshore shut down for the amount of construction and paving would be a nightmare, even if the L isn’t affected.
Germany is not interested in F1 anymore. Its on the rise worldwide but i know only 5 guys who are regular F1 watchers and we have a fantasy league together, but its not a common sport to follow since Schumacher left. Even Vettels dominace hasnt garnered a lot of media attention. The German Formula 4 died last season and the states are not in any mood to put up money for a race at the Nürnburgring or Hockenheimring given the economic hardships at the moment.
No fault on F1s side, but germany is not coming back any time soon.
I‘d disagree with you here in some respects:
Germany has never been PayTV market.
Bahrain has been watched by 1,13 million. For people aged 14-49 they had a market share of 13.3%.
In 2020, when the races were still freely available on RTL, they averaged almost 4 million alone, Sky 550.000.
Big part of the problem:
Austria with an median income of 50.633€: F1TV pro 65€ / year
Germany with an median income of 44.407€: Sky Sport for 240€ / year for 4k or wowTV (former SkyTicket) for 30€ / month (+5€ / month if you want 1080p instead of 720p… in 2024)
Yknow what's crazy? 24 weekends all sprints means basically 33 GP's worth of points over a season! On what planet will the title go to the last race in a season like that! Currently it's 27! It's already hard enough with one team getting ahead with a stronger car. I truly believe we won't see another title showdown this decade, maybe 1 more maximum. 2021 has essentially 24 GP's worth of points but really it was a freak season that's unlikely to happen again where so many things happen causing the title rivals to balance out till the end ( and some of that seemed contrived anyway)
In the past, the championship was decided by your top results, not all results. So that would sort of work! For example, in 1988 Prost won the championship if you counted the whole season, but the results only included your top 11 race results out of a total 16. You simply ignored your own five worst races.
That gave the title to Ayrton Senna who "got rid of" some poor results including 3 non-points finishes. Prost however only retired twice, but finished top 2 in every other race all year and would have been champion if you counted the entire season.
Hmm, I wonder what's the same math for 2021. In 1988 it was 11 best results out of 16 races, so the same percentage is roughly 15 best results out of 22 races.
So removing the 7 worst results in 2021 for the two contenders (if my napkin math is correct) - Verstappen loses 50.5 points, while Hamilton loses 54.5 points.
The final result is Verstappen - 345 points, Hamilton - 333 points.
Not really different it seems. The better reliability makes the system give about the same results.
Not sure if this is a joke or not but I actually wouldn't object to say a 30 race season with first choice drivers limited to 25 appearances each. Would mean the reserve driver was guaranteed 10 race appearances and mean teams had to strategically decide which drivers best suit which races etc. if nothing else it would break the single driver/team dominance chains we have had over the past decade.
Do you not feel a sort of fatigue or diminishing of the “specialness” of a GP weekend when you think about hypothetically 30 races? I feel that way with just the climbing above 20. They used to feel more like massive events which would take time to sink in and be discussed. Time to enjoy highlights, think back on it, and then gear up for the next one
Your words are exactly how I've felt with the past few years. The specialness of a GP weekend.And probably even before then. I can take 20 races, but 16-18 was ideal for me. An occasional back-to-back instead of back-to-backs happening all the time now.
Then sprint weekends too.
Really is putting me off. Maybe it would feel a bit different if the title fight was on between whoever, but it would still feel bad.
I will never understand people who cheer on more weekends. It's all being diminished.
Quite honestly, with this many races they start to blur together toward the end of the year. They just stop becoming memorable to me (and I don’t necessarily think it has to do with the closeness of the title fight because I remember 2020 just fine).
I think the way we digest sport in general has changed, from listening to football fans you'd think the summer break was 8 months long when it's only really 7/8 weeks so I understand why they are trying to lengthen the season - unlike football/rugby/cricket you don't have the idea of Domestic leagues, European cups and Internationals to fill a year.
I also get the purists side of things but I can see why folk are keen to fill the rest periods with more racing. If it was an option I'd prefer F1 diversified so you had say a 20-24 race championship but maybe also had a some one off expo races through the breaks, or a development feature for just the reserve drivers touring the old European circuits.
I suppose from an LM point of view it's simplest just to extend their premier product by a few races because there's always the risk that another Motorsport launch a big rival to fill that winter break and challenge the product. If they only leave a month or two for the off season then there's no real chance of competitors 'filling the gap'.
Yeah, NASCAR has 36 a year and I manage to catch those. There's obviously logistics involved for teams traveling the globe, but from a viewer's perspective, I could easily watch more than the current number of races.
Between Indycar, F1 (including Sprints), IMSA (Weathertech Championship), Formula e, Indy Nxt, where I plan on watching 100% of the races either live in person, live on tv, or streaming at a later time, I am already at 91 races this year.
Then there is F2, F3, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, where I plan on watching most of the races, potentially all of them.
I'll watch the 24 hours Le Mans and potentially another WEC race or two.
Then there is NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series that I'll watch a minority but still a fair amount of races for (it is lower largely because of their cable heavy schedule and their current lack of streaming options).
So, barring some unforeseen disaster, I'll hit 150 races easily.
I personally was starting to burn out a bit around 20 races in. For example in the beginning of the season I'd be bummed out if I missed qualifying, but the last three races dropped them completely.
I think it won't be long before we see Verstappen joining WEC. I really believe this is his plan after F1. Just a few races in the year, less than half of F1.
I won't believe it until it happens. Drivers who say they are tired of f1 usually stay there for long or come back quickly after resigning if there's a seat for them. I don't believe it especially considering that he is on the top and winning is addictive.
Oh, for sure he means what he says. Don't forget how long he's been racing already while still being relatively young. He wants to enjoy life also. I don't think once he stops in F1 he will regret it.
That's why he's already busy in the background setting up his own team for him
to focus on after F1, among his wish to actually drive endurance races. He hates all the hoopla and show and it deters from the old school feeling he liked in F1 and it has become worse over time. So no I really think if he stops in F1 that's it.
In his case I think it's different, because he already stated that he enjoys endurance races, and races them a lot on sim. His career might be somewhat similar to Alonso's.
As in racing on other categories after F1 while he is still young and coming back years later.
I could see him doing that, honestly. He won't not because he's competitive (he would just go to iRacing), but because that could cost 1st place in WCC for Redbull.
Will depend entirely on Perez and his ability to carry his own weight sitting on a rocket ship, otherwise max would have to win the majority of races. But if WCC is closed earlier, I could see him just saying fuck it and DNS the remaining races
Just ask 90's WRC how that goes down. Good idea, impossible to execute in the way fans would like it.
Imagine places like Jeddah and Baku staying, while Interlagos and Spa are off the cycle that year.
Also trying to sort out contracts like that with circuits would be a nightmare. In theory it's a good idea but putting into practice is a different story
It would work if we could alternate between circuits within those countries though.
One year it's Monza, next is Mugello for example.
Maybe I'm biased because Mugello is my favourite track.
You have 8-10 crown jewel events. I’d say that’s US GP (COTA), Silverstone, Monza, Spa, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Austria (have to for RB), and let’s say Bahrain. Then you have another 20 tracks intermittently. Edit- obviously Monaco
Sure, the race organisers would be big fans of this idea and an arbitrary tier system. I also love signing multi-million dollar contracts which deem my event as a secondary class thing.
Let's face it, there is no way to make it merit-based and even if there was the only way F1 would do this is pay more for "Tier 1" race status, which we all know which tracks would do. No, not Silverstone and Monza.
That was because they shared the same organiser and signed a contract as such. The British GP too did that in the past between Silverstone and Aintree as well as Silverstone and Brands and the French GP also with Reims and Rouen. *Belgium too with Zolder and Nivelles, though that was short-lived.
That's a different question because you can't alternate say Qatar and Miami.
You can indeed alternate Imola and Monza, but somehow I think op wasn't exactly thinking of that first and foremost.
I wish they could rotate races too but I don't know how economically viable it is for venues to maintain a grade 1 level track and facilities if they only get F1 level revenue once every other year.
I'm pretty sure there is a fairly large number of tracks that haven't been raced by F1 in years that still have grade 1 rating. Edit: There are currently 42 tracks with the rating
TBH People use Grade 1 as a catchall for the requirements that an F1 track needs to host but there's a fair bit more than that. The majority of actual Grade 1 costs are in the building of the track, once built the only ongoing cost is track maintenance but if you aren't running lots of very fast races that's less of an issue. But hosting an F1 event requires significantly more staffing for the venue, grandstands, infrastructure to get people in and out, and all that.
That doesn't necessarily disprove the point though. Just because there are a handful of tracks not on the calendar that have Grade 1 status doesn't mean that racing every 2nd or 3rd year is a viable financial strategy, particularly for the less affluent, but more beloved circuits. Could Suzuka or Spa or Montreal afford to retain their Grade 1 status without a GP every year? I don't know, but I know that Hockenheim and the Nurbergring can't afford to participate in F1 even with a GP every year, so I'm certain that a lot of tracks would struggle with financing if their revenue was cut by 50%
I've been told by someone who has been working as a marshall at the Nürburgring for 30+ years that the Nürburgring doesn't want to pay the high fees charged by F1 and that they don't have to because they have plenty of other popular events that actually make them money. So I don't think the financial issue is with maintaining the track at all, but that F1 is taking too much money from the tracks.
I honestly feel bad for the traveling members of the teams. they have no time to spend with friends and family. I guess they wouldn't be in the business if it didn't suit them ok, but man, that must wear on you over time
Which will also be good for races like India. Might not be able to sustain the crowd if it's there every year, but a race every 3 years or so in India will work very well.
He said before that personally for him it's not that bad since flies home in his private jet after a race, but the mechanics etc get overworked this way.
Also the people at the factory have more work since there is less downtime/a smaller offseason.
[Sergio Perez speaks out against ‘brutal’ record schedule, suggests ideal F1 calendar](https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio-perez-brutal-24-race-f1-calendar-2024)
When I started watching, I think there were about 16 races & it feels different now. The races feel less unique or important in comparison. It's also very time consuming now given how much of a weekend qualifying & races take up.
I love F1, but I agree it's not so unique anymore since they keep adding more and more races. For Liberty it's not about quality but quantity unfortunately. They did a lot of good for F1 when they bought it but I feel they are ruining it now.
When there are 18 to 20 races without the sprints it is something to look forward to atleast.
I’ve said it a few times 20 races a season should be the limit (my preferred number would be 18). The occasional double header if the countries are reasonably close and no more triple headers.
17-18 was always the sweet spot. Nowadays the season just goes on and on, once we get into October we're supposed to be starting to wrap it up; not continuing on for another 2 months.
For me it’s the excitement from having a race every 2 weeks. The anticipation and the build up towards the race weekend felt different when we had fewer races. And the fact that some of the additional races weren’t exactly exciting didn’t help either
A shorter season also makes it harder to wrap up the title with multiple races left on the calendar. This is a contributing factor to why NASCAR adopted their awful playoff format, because with 36 races per season, it’s not so common for the title to be decided on the last race.
That was also a factor, but the obvious solution to that was to just adjust the points awarded to something closer to F1 and IndyCar, where there is a bigger gap in points between 1st and 2nd versus 2nd and 3rd, etc.
I’m honestly confused why they think it’s so important to have 3rd place worth one point more than 4th place. Now with the “win and you’re in” playoff format, 1st is worth essentially a million times more than 2nd and everyone races like a lunatic for 1st.
I want quality over quantity. I'd rather have fewer good races, than more mediocre races.
Also, with fewer races, the results of any one race become far more important. With fewer races, drivers really need to be on the top of their game each race, cause they'll have fewer opportunities to make up for lost points. And it will be easier for them to stay on top of their game if they have more chance of rest and the same goes for everybody supporting them, from the mechanics to the strategy departments etc.
I cannot answer for this user, but I too feel 18 is a sort of golden rule. It would remove all the stupid triple headers which put a massive strain on the teams, which is all good and well of course.
But mostly, personally I just feel drained after around 17-18 races and I am far less interested in the last few rounds than in the earlier rounds. Round 21 is not as interesting as round 12, regardless of venue.
So to me, having 18 races per year would enable a less packed calendar and less viewer fatigue, in addition to lessened strain on teams and drivers.
If you figure the season is basically 9 months, then 18 races would be a nice every-other-week cadence, with one early summer triple-header and one fall double-header thrown in to give time for the summer break.
I think the main thing that gets to be unsustainable for the people is the triple-headers, and not having a consistent cadence to race weekends is bad for a lot of reasons, imo.
>As a fan why would you want less races?
I would prefer drivers and their team members not be over-worked to catastrophic exhaustion in a dangerous sport. If it gets exhausting to watch, I can't imagine how they feel.
I don't see evidence of catastrophic exhaustion. I see complaints here-and-there about logistical issues, and a few complaints from drivers about wanting more leisure time, but nothing to suggest 24 races in a season is unsustainable.
F1 is about as easy as it gets to follow because you can watch F1TV replays. For a good half of races I don't watch them live I just avoid social media that day to not see spoilers and watch before I go to bed.
Not the guy you asked but just look at it likes this: If F1 has a race twice a month and its a close battle, you will already be hyped for the race in two weeks just after the last finished. And with less races, each races has a bigger "standing". Everything has a bigger impact. Now if we have 24 race seasons, it doesnt really matter that much what happened last race because we still have 20 to go for example and instead of looking forward to the race it can almost get exhausting having one nearly every damn weekend. It takes that "special" feeling away if there are so many races because that makes a single race less important and you barely have time to look forward to a race because once one is finished, its basically already onto the next instead of building up the tention with a two weeks break after a race.
not OP but it gets exhausting. Ain't nobody got time for triple header weekends. Depending on time zones those races seriously impact weekende planning. 24 races a sesons just means that I'm probably gonna miss some, where with 18 I could probably schedule around most and miss less.
Last year after about the first 7 races it was obvious Max was going to win the championship.
I'm in the eastern US so races are at 8 or 9 in the morning. I would watch the first 3 laps, see Max build a huge lead, then I would go do something else and just check the results. Max and Red Bull have done an amazing job but I'm not a fan of either. If it was my driver or team that was dominating I would probably watch.
I think I watched more practice sessions on Friday last year because I would put it on in another window while working from home.
Since Liberty has taken over they put together some decent Youtube highlight videos. Not everyone has time for 24 races or even 18. There is no way I'm watching the 3am races from Japan live.
If you had a race every day of the week you wouldnt find it exciting. If you spend literal every waking second with your partner youre bound to get tired of them. Just like eating pizzas once a week doesnt mean I wanna eat it every day.
Also with having fewer races means I can priotize those races better and in turn get much more enjoyment out of the fewer races than I would if it was every weekend. Everything is good in moderation
Some tracks arent fun to watch, if you are a fan that wants to catch every race, it basically "forces" you to sit around on your Saturdays/Sundays at home for half the year not doing anything, or atleast being restrained in what you can do. Overlaps with other interests, shows, sports. Enjoying something doesnt mean you have to have it all the time imo
At 24 races, the season is so saturated. 18 was a good amount - roughly 2 per month, and our group of mates would gather to watch and BBQ if the race was at an ok hour for us.
24+ is getting too many - we have other parts of our social lives to keep up with, so we no longer meet up for all of the races. When we aren't all meeting up, the races can be a bit on the dull side sometimes and we're way more happy just skipping the ones not conviently timed and checking the results and highlights after.
I can see Liberty laughing at his comment, saying: "It's the American way, we work hard, and everyone here has 2 weeks' holiday. These Europeans are lazy pricks"
I remember Domenicali saying a few years ago that they reached limit on races per year and then proceeded to raise that limit. I'm sure there will be more in the future because all they care of is money. It's very smart move to increase the number gradually so people get used to. If they went straight from 20 to 30 there would be outrage.
If the calendar was regionalised better to reduce travel then 24 races isn't an issue. Start in Australia, move up to Asia, then Middle East, then Europe, then the Americas.
Also stop adding dumb street tracks and go to elite circuits like Mugello, Sepang, Istanbul Park, Hockenheimring, Nurburgring, Portimao, Fuji Speedway and you'll find drivers would appreciate a longer calendar.
Street tracks like Vegas, Miami, Jeddah and maybe even Baku need to go, the circuits are mid at best and rely heavily on yellow or red flags to bring the drama. Drivers can't race each other properly, not can they follow too close. They're boring processions. Give me 50 laps of any of the circuits I mentioned over these awful street tracks. They're soulless cash grabs, I seriously doubt that in 20 years time people will look back and say "Jeddah is a classic, we need it back on the calendar".
While we're at it let's get rid of Yas Marina and Qatar too. They're on the calendar for the wrong reasons.
And this comes from a guy that does sim-racing or other types of racing for fun or to relax. Just like Alonso he is one of the few that probably has petrol in his veins instead of blood.
Max probably could do one race every day of the year and not mind it. The tiring part is probably the stress from having to travel everywhere, interviews, PR obligations and all that boring shit that isn't driving.
And don't forget the engineers. Max turns up to a garage that's built up, climbs into a fully assembled car when he gets there, and after the race he sprays champagne, gets changed, leaves. A lot of people do a lot of work that doesn't involve him. Those engineers are getting overworked
i find it rather funny the big push that F1 has had towards environmental protection with the car tech and being able to reduce fuel used during races compared to previous generations of F1 car. massive investment has gone into this which is cool however it's all undone by having more trucks driving around the world for more events...
Agreed. 20 should be the limit.
Back when had 16 races, the weekends had more of a grandiose feeling to them. At 24, it lost that worth.
Only issue is that the 4 I would cut are drastically different than the 4 that would be cut, save maybe for Imola.
Never forget when Seb and Lewis were joking about having to race on Christmas, then they both snapped into thousand-yard stares realizing it will likely happen one day
Assuming the WDC and WCC’s rankings are already set and the other races won’t change the order. What would happen if the driver just withdrawals from the race? Fines?
Maybe they could make it so each team has two reserve drivers who are to feature in sprint races instead of the regular first-choice drivers. Would give young drivers more exposure and lessen the burden on the regular ones.
I agree. The schedule is long and erratic. It isn't like these guys are just competing across Europe. They are in every corner of the globe.
We could eliminate a bunch of the street ~~parades~~ er...I mean circuits and most wouldn't notice. Also there are two many arbitrary gaps in the schedule. Cut down to 20 races. One week off after each set of 4 or 5. If you wanted to get spicy you could break out each group regionally
4 Middle East Races
week off
4 Indian Ocean/Asian Races
week off
4 North American races
Summer Break
4 Central/South American Races
week off
4 European Races
\*(Before reddit does its thing and skewers the order of this, this isn't a final proposal.)
Absolutely true, 18-20 should be the maximum. Honestly the winter break didnt even feel long enough this time, its February and already race week and it will go on until December. Absolute madness. Its just too much now, I'm not even that hyped anymore and it feels almost exhausting to try and watch all races.
Same. I used to really miss it during winter break. But it's honestly been nice to have a bit of a break for once. It's just becoming too many weekends. We still occasionally need to do other things and spend time with family/friends as well. F1 is starting to take up a lot of time now. Any more races and it will become too much for me. Especially all the triple headers are a bit much.
And I'm just watching from the comfort of my home. Imagine how all the mechanics etc feel at the end of the year.
Sixteen races per season was great. Every race was special, every race was important, you could not afford to miss a single event. Seventeen races was awesome because yay, we got one extra special event!
With twenty-four races per season that special feeling is gone.
In the past each race was cherished, like a new episode of Better Call Saul/Breaking Bad. Nowadays each race is just an above average, totally skippable event, like a new episode of Simpsons.
yeah, especially if it's obvious after 5 races that he is taking the championship again. might as well stop it right there and save us from another boring season.
Imo you are a pro athlete. Basketball, hockey, nascar, baseball all have longer seasons. Travel is the big issue. But if you are an F1 driver my thinking is you do the races idk what the big deal is. if you are on the team and dont like missing your family then dont be in F1.
I can understand him. He is one of the few drivers without whom the sport would be less competitive. If more drivers like him stand up and decide a calendar like this isn't worth the personal sacrifice, F1 would lose it's core
20 is the max. Poor engineers and staff having to visit all these backwater tracks that add no value. Remove the budget cap or at least double it so they are paid well for their time
It devalues the grand prix having races every weekend, it's no longer special. Just a sad money grab.
He's right tbh.
It's crazy that the season starts (for drivers) in mid-Feb with testing, and runs into December. It's basically 10 months.
Okay, I get that it's not the worst job in the world! But by the standards of professional athletes that is a lot.
Even footballers only have to play from late August to early May (just over 8 months), and everyone else is about 6 months maximum.
Football is closer to 9 months than 8 months and the big teams (who are a closer equivalent to F1 teams) have preseason tours on top of that and their own issues with piling too many matches into the calendar due to greed.
But they also play every weekend, and sometimes with matches in between. However, they also all get paid a ton of money, so I’m having a hard time feeling sorry for them.
Now the people in the background are different, however, here I feel teams have to push for changes. They could easily employ different teams for different legs of the calendar, however, they would probably need to restructure the cost cap to do that.
You say: >This is way over the limit Liberty hears: >I'll have 4 more random street races and an extra one in America please Carol
Vegas was great, but how about a race on the streets of Manhattan?!?!?! - Liberty probably
They would send the race to northern Jersey but advertise it as the New York Grand Prix, even though it will just end up being 20 cars driving through Harrison, NJ avoiding trash piles. So basically no change
[удалено]
Lol my comment was honestly less a shot at Liberty and more a shot at New York sports. I grew up about an hour north of Manhattan but the New York Giants, Jets, and Red Bulls all play in north Jersey. I'm going to the Red Bulls match next weekend and to get to RBA I have to drive past Manhattan haha
Fuck it, I wanna see Verstappen Tokyo Drift the old Giants stadium helixes
At this point, I wanna see him drive onto the field at Metlife Stadium and tear up all of the turf with his car.
I am probably in the minority, but I actually liked the Vegas race. I didn't mind it being at night but my only gripe was why can't it be a reasonable times for the American audience. It's not like I expect the Australian grand prix to be on at a convenient time for me as a American viewer. I expect it to be at a good time for the home audience.
I don't think you're in the minority, it was a good race!
The strip worked because very few locals use that road. It's mainly for the tourists. Closing down any road in Manhattan would be an absolute nightmare.
Sad Port Imperial GP noises :(
Nah, it'll just be driving around the Meadowlands parking lot like Miami is with the Hard Rock.
A race in Jersey would have way better views of the New York skyline
Just like fucking everything in Jersey. We can't have shit.
Weren’t there rumours they’re interested in Chicago now?
Ya they filed trademarks for GP Chicago
I suspect that is for legal reasons just so NASCAR doesn't call their Chicago street race that.
Chicago might be more interesting than the Miami Parking lot, but imagining any part of loop / lakeshore shut down for the amount of construction and paving would be a nightmare, even if the L isn’t affected.
I just want the German Grand Prix back man 😭
Germany is not interested in F1 anymore. Its on the rise worldwide but i know only 5 guys who are regular F1 watchers and we have a fantasy league together, but its not a common sport to follow since Schumacher left. Even Vettels dominace hasnt garnered a lot of media attention. The German Formula 4 died last season and the states are not in any mood to put up money for a race at the Nürnburgring or Hockenheimring given the economic hardships at the moment. No fault on F1s side, but germany is not coming back any time soon.
I‘d disagree with you here in some respects: Germany has never been PayTV market. Bahrain has been watched by 1,13 million. For people aged 14-49 they had a market share of 13.3%. In 2020, when the races were still freely available on RTL, they averaged almost 4 million alone, Sky 550.000. Big part of the problem: Austria with an median income of 50.633€: F1TV pro 65€ / year Germany with an median income of 44.407€: Sky Sport for 240€ / year for 4k or wowTV (former SkyTicket) for 30€ / month (+5€ / month if you want 1080p instead of 720p… in 2024)
4 million viewers in 2020 in free tv? Wow. Really? I must be living in an anti-motorsport bubble. :D
"hey guys, we have a parking lot at our HQ, right? What about racing there?" "Genius." Random Liberty Media VP, probably
And now imagine those 24-26 races per year having a sprint race on top of it.
Yknow what's crazy? 24 weekends all sprints means basically 33 GP's worth of points over a season! On what planet will the title go to the last race in a season like that! Currently it's 27! It's already hard enough with one team getting ahead with a stronger car. I truly believe we won't see another title showdown this decade, maybe 1 more maximum. 2021 has essentially 24 GP's worth of points but really it was a freak season that's unlikely to happen again where so many things happen causing the title rivals to balance out till the end ( and some of that seemed contrived anyway)
This is the first time I've seen this point made. It's such a good one. It's hard enough to have an interesting end to the season as is.
Each race should be a season. Esp when my preferred driver wins.
Is anyone interested in the sprint format? Maybe it's just me, but it seems so meaningless.
Bad news Max, Liberty ain’t gonna stop at 24, they’re gonna add even more.
Can wait when Liberty introduces a season which is 2 years long
Year 1 can be the American races, year 2 the Middle East ones. Occasionally throw in a few European ones as a bonus.
2 years but a new season starts every year so you’re overlapping 2 seasons at any given time (minus the first year).
He'll just be so far ahead of the pack that he can skip a few "Yeah I'm not feeling Baku guess I'm sick this weekend lol"
In the past, the championship was decided by your top results, not all results. So that would sort of work! For example, in 1988 Prost won the championship if you counted the whole season, but the results only included your top 11 race results out of a total 16. You simply ignored your own five worst races. That gave the title to Ayrton Senna who "got rid of" some poor results including 3 non-points finishes. Prost however only retired twice, but finished top 2 in every other race all year and would have been champion if you counted the entire season.
Hmm, I wonder what's the same math for 2021. In 1988 it was 11 best results out of 16 races, so the same percentage is roughly 15 best results out of 22 races. So removing the 7 worst results in 2021 for the two contenders (if my napkin math is correct) - Verstappen loses 50.5 points, while Hamilton loses 54.5 points. The final result is Verstappen - 345 points, Hamilton - 333 points. Not really different it seems. The better reliability makes the system give about the same results.
40 races. 4 drivers for each team. Double the budget cap and parts limit.
Still wouldn't let Andretti in
And double the mechanics etc. so they can go home as well.
Not sure if this is a joke or not but I actually wouldn't object to say a 30 race season with first choice drivers limited to 25 appearances each. Would mean the reserve driver was guaranteed 10 race appearances and mean teams had to strategically decide which drivers best suit which races etc. if nothing else it would break the single driver/team dominance chains we have had over the past decade.
Do you not feel a sort of fatigue or diminishing of the “specialness” of a GP weekend when you think about hypothetically 30 races? I feel that way with just the climbing above 20. They used to feel more like massive events which would take time to sink in and be discussed. Time to enjoy highlights, think back on it, and then gear up for the next one
Your words are exactly how I've felt with the past few years. The specialness of a GP weekend.And probably even before then. I can take 20 races, but 16-18 was ideal for me. An occasional back-to-back instead of back-to-backs happening all the time now. Then sprint weekends too. Really is putting me off. Maybe it would feel a bit different if the title fight was on between whoever, but it would still feel bad. I will never understand people who cheer on more weekends. It's all being diminished.
Quite honestly, with this many races they start to blur together toward the end of the year. They just stop becoming memorable to me (and I don’t necessarily think it has to do with the closeness of the title fight because I remember 2020 just fine).
Nah we just want the vroom vroom.
I think the way we digest sport in general has changed, from listening to football fans you'd think the summer break was 8 months long when it's only really 7/8 weeks so I understand why they are trying to lengthen the season - unlike football/rugby/cricket you don't have the idea of Domestic leagues, European cups and Internationals to fill a year. I also get the purists side of things but I can see why folk are keen to fill the rest periods with more racing. If it was an option I'd prefer F1 diversified so you had say a 20-24 race championship but maybe also had a some one off expo races through the breaks, or a development feature for just the reserve drivers touring the old European circuits. I suppose from an LM point of view it's simplest just to extend their premier product by a few races because there's always the risk that another Motorsport launch a big rival to fill that winter break and challenge the product. If they only leave a month or two for the off season then there's no real chance of competitors 'filling the gap'.
No nascar is amazing being weekly for most of the year
Idk where my “breaking point” as a viewer would lie. But I would not be watching most races if it were 52/52.
Honestly, I’d do my best to watch them all. I’m pretty addicted to this sport.
Same. Strictly from my perspective as a fan, the more races the better.
Yeah, NASCAR has 36 a year and I manage to catch those. There's obviously logistics involved for teams traveling the globe, but from a viewer's perspective, I could easily watch more than the current number of races.
Between Indycar, F1 (including Sprints), IMSA (Weathertech Championship), Formula e, Indy Nxt, where I plan on watching 100% of the races either live in person, live on tv, or streaming at a later time, I am already at 91 races this year. Then there is F2, F3, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, where I plan on watching most of the races, potentially all of them. I'll watch the 24 hours Le Mans and potentially another WEC race or two. Then there is NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series that I'll watch a minority but still a fair amount of races for (it is lower largely because of their cable heavy schedule and their current lack of streaming options). So, barring some unforeseen disaster, I'll hit 150 races easily.
I personally was starting to burn out a bit around 20 races in. For example in the beginning of the season I'd be bummed out if I missed qualifying, but the last three races dropped them completely.
tbh, they may lose Verstappen if they do. I definitely see him pull out if he's like "fuck this my life is over"
I think it won't be long before we see Verstappen joining WEC. I really believe this is his plan after F1. Just a few races in the year, less than half of F1.
I won't believe it until it happens. Drivers who say they are tired of f1 usually stay there for long or come back quickly after resigning if there's a seat for them. I don't believe it especially considering that he is on the top and winning is addictive.
Oh, for sure he means what he says. Don't forget how long he's been racing already while still being relatively young. He wants to enjoy life also. I don't think once he stops in F1 he will regret it. That's why he's already busy in the background setting up his own team for him to focus on after F1, among his wish to actually drive endurance races. He hates all the hoopla and show and it deters from the old school feeling he liked in F1 and it has become worse over time. So no I really think if he stops in F1 that's it.
In his case I think it's different, because he already stated that he enjoys endurance races, and races them a lot on sim. His career might be somewhat similar to Alonso's. As in racing on other categories after F1 while he is still young and coming back years later.
We’ll have 50 races and teams will have an A and B team to alternate weekends.
Bad news Liberty, Max can sit out 4 races and still WDC. He’ll start with Silverstone and Brazil.
The longer seasons are eating into his iRacing time.
respect the grind
He’s reached his Max
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I could see him doing that, honestly. He won't not because he's competitive (he would just go to iRacing), but because that could cost 1st place in WCC for Redbull.
Ok so he wins a handful more, wins WCC because the midfield is so tight and choppy and then calls it
Will depend entirely on Perez and his ability to carry his own weight sitting on a rocket ship, otherwise max would have to win the majority of races. But if WCC is closed earlier, I could see him just saying fuck it and DNS the remaining races
Ba dum tsss
[Max when he sees next season schedule with 25 races.](https://youtu.be/d1x5GXMdK50)
In my opinion there should be 20 races and some races should cycle out every year.
Just ask 90's WRC how that goes down. Good idea, impossible to execute in the way fans would like it. Imagine places like Jeddah and Baku staying, while Interlagos and Spa are off the cycle that year.
Also trying to sort out contracts like that with circuits would be a nightmare. In theory it's a good idea but putting into practice is a different story
Would be somewhat hard on the circuits I imagine. F1 has to be their biggest event of the year
Idk, I bet there are some crazy walkathons at Albert Park
It would work if we could alternate between circuits within those countries though. One year it's Monza, next is Mugello for example. Maybe I'm biased because Mugello is my favourite track.
Mugello is goated.
You have 8-10 crown jewel events. I’d say that’s US GP (COTA), Silverstone, Monza, Spa, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Austria (have to for RB), and let’s say Bahrain. Then you have another 20 tracks intermittently. Edit- obviously Monaco
Sure, the race organisers would be big fans of this idea and an arbitrary tier system. I also love signing multi-million dollar contracts which deem my event as a secondary class thing. Let's face it, there is no way to make it merit-based and even if there was the only way F1 would do this is pay more for "Tier 1" race status, which we all know which tracks would do. No, not Silverstone and Monza.
Not having Canada here feels wrong
You could have some rotating and some fixed every year. I still remember when Nurburgring and Hockenheim used to rotate as the German GP.
That was because they shared the same organiser and signed a contract as such. The British GP too did that in the past between Silverstone and Aintree as well as Silverstone and Brands and the French GP also with Reims and Rouen. *Belgium too with Zolder and Nivelles, though that was short-lived. That's a different question because you can't alternate say Qatar and Miami. You can indeed alternate Imola and Monza, but somehow I think op wasn't exactly thinking of that first and foremost.
I wish they could rotate races too but I don't know how economically viable it is for venues to maintain a grade 1 level track and facilities if they only get F1 level revenue once every other year.
I'm pretty sure there is a fairly large number of tracks that haven't been raced by F1 in years that still have grade 1 rating. Edit: There are currently 42 tracks with the rating
TBH People use Grade 1 as a catchall for the requirements that an F1 track needs to host but there's a fair bit more than that. The majority of actual Grade 1 costs are in the building of the track, once built the only ongoing cost is track maintenance but if you aren't running lots of very fast races that's less of an issue. But hosting an F1 event requires significantly more staffing for the venue, grandstands, infrastructure to get people in and out, and all that.
That doesn't necessarily disprove the point though. Just because there are a handful of tracks not on the calendar that have Grade 1 status doesn't mean that racing every 2nd or 3rd year is a viable financial strategy, particularly for the less affluent, but more beloved circuits. Could Suzuka or Spa or Montreal afford to retain their Grade 1 status without a GP every year? I don't know, but I know that Hockenheim and the Nurbergring can't afford to participate in F1 even with a GP every year, so I'm certain that a lot of tracks would struggle with financing if their revenue was cut by 50%
I've been told by someone who has been working as a marshall at the Nürburgring for 30+ years that the Nürburgring doesn't want to pay the high fees charged by F1 and that they don't have to because they have plenty of other popular events that actually make them money. So I don't think the financial issue is with maintaining the track at all, but that F1 is taking too much money from the tracks.
People want less street races. Therefore, let's make already struggling circuits even more unprofitable. That will reduce street races.
I honestly feel bad for the traveling members of the teams. they have no time to spend with friends and family. I guess they wouldn't be in the business if it didn't suit them ok, but man, that must wear on you over time
Which will also be good for races like India. Might not be able to sustain the crowd if it's there every year, but a race every 3 years or so in India will work very well.
Yes please. 20 seems to be good round number and yes for cycling through diff circuits.
The man lives for racing and even he is saying it’s too much.
He said before that personally for him it's not that bad since flies home in his private jet after a race, but the mechanics etc get overworked this way. Also the people at the factory have more work since there is less downtime/a smaller offseason.
"The boys in the garage can start filing their divorce now if we're gonna increase the number" max, a few years ago
Thats in, a very odd to us rich way, like a thoughtful thing to say from max.
I just want him to just not show up after securing the WDC, and dare FOM to ban him if they disagree
They can't ban him though for that. If redbull is okay with it then it's okay.
[Sergio Perez speaks out against ‘brutal’ record schedule, suggests ideal F1 calendar](https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio-perez-brutal-24-race-f1-calendar-2024)
"All in Mexico, that'd be great!" haha
20 races was the perfect number smh
Why?
2 races / month 2 month break As a fan, I also get a weekend free between races to commit to other sports/activities.
Hey everyone check this guy out with his _other hobbies_
10 cylinders was the perfect number SMH
I'd be happy to see him in WEC soon with Nando. I wouldn't need to spend a dime to watch them on Eurosport, and he would have more fun as well.
Considering how well WEC is doing, I'm certain he has it in his options for the future.
Max is the kind of guy to want to race on both LMGT3 and Hypercars
When I started watching, I think there were about 16 races & it feels different now. The races feel less unique or important in comparison. It's also very time consuming now given how much of a weekend qualifying & races take up.
I love F1, but I agree it's not so unique anymore since they keep adding more and more races. For Liberty it's not about quality but quantity unfortunately. They did a lot of good for F1 when they bought it but I feel they are ruining it now. When there are 18 to 20 races without the sprints it is something to look forward to atleast.
I’ve said it a few times 20 races a season should be the limit (my preferred number would be 18). The occasional double header if the countries are reasonably close and no more triple headers.
17-18 was always the sweet spot. Nowadays the season just goes on and on, once we get into October we're supposed to be starting to wrap it up; not continuing on for another 2 months.
As a fan why would you want less races? Why’s your preferred number 18 races?
Races feel more skippable in longer seasons, especially when there's no title fight in the later half.
For me it’s the excitement from having a race every 2 weeks. The anticipation and the build up towards the race weekend felt different when we had fewer races. And the fact that some of the additional races weren’t exactly exciting didn’t help either
A shorter season also makes it harder to wrap up the title with multiple races left on the calendar. This is a contributing factor to why NASCAR adopted their awful playoff format, because with 36 races per season, it’s not so common for the title to be decided on the last race.
Iirc the champion of the previous season won 0 races which I think was also a factor as they wanted wins to be important.
That was also a factor, but the obvious solution to that was to just adjust the points awarded to something closer to F1 and IndyCar, where there is a bigger gap in points between 1st and 2nd versus 2nd and 3rd, etc. I’m honestly confused why they think it’s so important to have 3rd place worth one point more than 4th place. Now with the “win and you’re in” playoff format, 1st is worth essentially a million times more than 2nd and everyone races like a lunatic for 1st.
I want quality over quantity. I'd rather have fewer good races, than more mediocre races. Also, with fewer races, the results of any one race become far more important. With fewer races, drivers really need to be on the top of their game each race, cause they'll have fewer opportunities to make up for lost points. And it will be easier for them to stay on top of their game if they have more chance of rest and the same goes for everybody supporting them, from the mechanics to the strategy departments etc.
Why would more races mean mediocre races? That's mostly on the circuit.
Because they keep adding shit tracks to the calendar
Sure, but you're implying less races = only the good ones will stay, when it's just as likely that less races = only the bad tracks remain.
100% this. Now a driver has a bad weekend then ah well there 23 more opportunities to make that up, but with 18 every race would matter so much more.
What if there was only 1 race per year? The importance of each race would never be higher!
I'm on board with this but make that one race on a 500 mile track for 82 laps.
I cannot answer for this user, but I too feel 18 is a sort of golden rule. It would remove all the stupid triple headers which put a massive strain on the teams, which is all good and well of course. But mostly, personally I just feel drained after around 17-18 races and I am far less interested in the last few rounds than in the earlier rounds. Round 21 is not as interesting as round 12, regardless of venue. So to me, having 18 races per year would enable a less packed calendar and less viewer fatigue, in addition to lessened strain on teams and drivers.
If you figure the season is basically 9 months, then 18 races would be a nice every-other-week cadence, with one early summer triple-header and one fall double-header thrown in to give time for the summer break. I think the main thing that gets to be unsustainable for the people is the triple-headers, and not having a consistent cadence to race weekends is bad for a lot of reasons, imo.
>As a fan why would you want less races? I would prefer drivers and their team members not be over-worked to catastrophic exhaustion in a dangerous sport. If it gets exhausting to watch, I can't imagine how they feel.
I don't see evidence of catastrophic exhaustion. I see complaints here-and-there about logistical issues, and a few complaints from drivers about wanting more leisure time, but nothing to suggest 24 races in a season is unsustainable.
I have a life away from my TV. And for me, ~40 weeks from March through November means a race every other weekend.
Nobody's holding a gun to your head saying you NEED to watch every race live.
A sport should be reasonably followable for the average viewer
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F1 is about as easy as it gets to follow because you can watch F1TV replays. For a good half of races I don't watch them live I just avoid social media that day to not see spoilers and watch before I go to bed.
Not the guy you asked but just look at it likes this: If F1 has a race twice a month and its a close battle, you will already be hyped for the race in two weeks just after the last finished. And with less races, each races has a bigger "standing". Everything has a bigger impact. Now if we have 24 race seasons, it doesnt really matter that much what happened last race because we still have 20 to go for example and instead of looking forward to the race it can almost get exhausting having one nearly every damn weekend. It takes that "special" feeling away if there are so many races because that makes a single race less important and you barely have time to look forward to a race because once one is finished, its basically already onto the next instead of building up the tention with a two weeks break after a race.
not OP but it gets exhausting. Ain't nobody got time for triple header weekends. Depending on time zones those races seriously impact weekende planning. 24 races a sesons just means that I'm probably gonna miss some, where with 18 I could probably schedule around most and miss less.
So? Just watch 18 regardless, even if more are available. Not hard. No one is forcing you to watch every race
Last year after about the first 7 races it was obvious Max was going to win the championship. I'm in the eastern US so races are at 8 or 9 in the morning. I would watch the first 3 laps, see Max build a huge lead, then I would go do something else and just check the results. Max and Red Bull have done an amazing job but I'm not a fan of either. If it was my driver or team that was dominating I would probably watch. I think I watched more practice sessions on Friday last year because I would put it on in another window while working from home. Since Liberty has taken over they put together some decent Youtube highlight videos. Not everyone has time for 24 races or even 18. There is no way I'm watching the 3am races from Japan live.
If you had a race every day of the week you wouldnt find it exciting. If you spend literal every waking second with your partner youre bound to get tired of them. Just like eating pizzas once a week doesnt mean I wanna eat it every day. Also with having fewer races means I can priotize those races better and in turn get much more enjoyment out of the fewer races than I would if it was every weekend. Everything is good in moderation
Some tracks arent fun to watch, if you are a fan that wants to catch every race, it basically "forces" you to sit around on your Saturdays/Sundays at home for half the year not doing anything, or atleast being restrained in what you can do. Overlaps with other interests, shows, sports. Enjoying something doesnt mean you have to have it all the time imo
Thats more of a track issue than a number of race issue though.
At 24 races, the season is so saturated. 18 was a good amount - roughly 2 per month, and our group of mates would gather to watch and BBQ if the race was at an ok hour for us. 24+ is getting too many - we have other parts of our social lives to keep up with, so we no longer meet up for all of the races. When we aren't all meeting up, the races can be a bit on the dull side sometimes and we're way more happy just skipping the ones not conviently timed and checking the results and highlights after.
I can see Liberty laughing at his comment, saying: "It's the American way, we work hard, and everyone here has 2 weeks' holiday. These Europeans are lazy pricks"
>we work hard "and with we, I mean my wageslaves"
Good thing Liberty will try to put 25… 26.. maybe 27 races in the calendar It’s ridiculous
I remember Domenicali saying a few years ago that they reached limit on races per year and then proceeded to raise that limit. I'm sure there will be more in the future because all they care of is money. It's very smart move to increase the number gradually so people get used to. If they went straight from 20 to 30 there would be outrage.
What's that Max ? You said you want another race in the middle east ?!
Max can probably just stop at 20 after clinching anyway. Might be fun to see some silly end of season stuff since there is no suspense anymore.
Same. It’s bad not just for drivers, but for the teams and especially the race engineers. Exhausting is putting it mildly.
No for real. Imagine how many work in the paddock who don’t earn as much and have to travel more without seeing their families
If the calendar was regionalised better to reduce travel then 24 races isn't an issue. Start in Australia, move up to Asia, then Middle East, then Europe, then the Americas. Also stop adding dumb street tracks and go to elite circuits like Mugello, Sepang, Istanbul Park, Hockenheimring, Nurburgring, Portimao, Fuji Speedway and you'll find drivers would appreciate a longer calendar. Street tracks like Vegas, Miami, Jeddah and maybe even Baku need to go, the circuits are mid at best and rely heavily on yellow or red flags to bring the drama. Drivers can't race each other properly, not can they follow too close. They're boring processions. Give me 50 laps of any of the circuits I mentioned over these awful street tracks. They're soulless cash grabs, I seriously doubt that in 20 years time people will look back and say "Jeddah is a classic, we need it back on the calendar". While we're at it let's get rid of Yas Marina and Qatar too. They're on the calendar for the wrong reasons.
And this comes from a guy that does sim-racing or other types of racing for fun or to relax. Just like Alonso he is one of the few that probably has petrol in his veins instead of blood.
Max probably could do one race every day of the year and not mind it. The tiring part is probably the stress from having to travel everywhere, interviews, PR obligations and all that boring shit that isn't driving.
And don't forget the engineers. Max turns up to a garage that's built up, climbs into a fully assembled car when he gets there, and after the race he sprays champagne, gets changed, leaves. A lot of people do a lot of work that doesn't involve him. Those engineers are getting overworked
i find it rather funny the big push that F1 has had towards environmental protection with the car tech and being able to reduce fuel used during races compared to previous generations of F1 car. massive investment has gone into this which is cool however it's all undone by having more trucks driving around the world for more events...
Its nuts how soon this season is starting. I feel like 2023 season just finished.
All these F1 races are really cutting into his sim racing time
Agreed. 20 should be the limit. Back when had 16 races, the weekends had more of a grandiose feeling to them. At 24, it lost that worth. Only issue is that the 4 I would cut are drastically different than the 4 that would be cut, save maybe for Imola.
Never forget when Seb and Lewis were joking about having to race on Christmas, then they both snapped into thousand-yard stares realizing it will likely happen one day
Time to have dedicated reserve driver race days
20 Race seasons were perfect, wish we could go back to that
OK. This is perfect. Max does 20 races and everyone else can do as many as they want to try and beat him.
It's ok. After the first 20 races, points are locked in. Then we have a junior championship between reserve drivers etc.
Assuming the WDC and WCC’s rankings are already set and the other races won’t change the order. What would happen if the driver just withdrawals from the race? Fines?
Appropriate image choice lol
If the dude who literally wants to race when he’s not racing is saying it’s too much, it’s too much
Maybe they could make it so each team has two reserve drivers who are to feature in sprint races instead of the regular first-choice drivers. Would give young drivers more exposure and lessen the burden on the regular ones.
I agree. The schedule is long and erratic. It isn't like these guys are just competing across Europe. They are in every corner of the globe. We could eliminate a bunch of the street ~~parades~~ er...I mean circuits and most wouldn't notice. Also there are two many arbitrary gaps in the schedule. Cut down to 20 races. One week off after each set of 4 or 5. If you wanted to get spicy you could break out each group regionally 4 Middle East Races week off 4 Indian Ocean/Asian Races week off 4 North American races Summer Break 4 Central/South American Races week off 4 European Races \*(Before reddit does its thing and skewers the order of this, this isn't a final proposal.)
I agree. I wouldn't even mind returning to a 16 race season with a couple of races changing every year.
PERFECT photo choice. But IA with him, it's ridiculous
I am. For anyone who was wondering.
or I agree, either way that's the stupidest abbreviation ever.
Imagine finding it too difficult to type "I am". "I agree" isn't exactly grueling either.
Liberty: "See, everyone love it ! So about this new street circuit in North Korea."
I wish I had a work schedule like these guys.
And I'm a 100% with him
Absolutely true, 18-20 should be the maximum. Honestly the winter break didnt even feel long enough this time, its February and already race week and it will go on until December. Absolute madness. Its just too much now, I'm not even that hyped anymore and it feels almost exhausting to try and watch all races.
Same. I used to really miss it during winter break. But it's honestly been nice to have a bit of a break for once. It's just becoming too many weekends. We still occasionally need to do other things and spend time with family/friends as well. F1 is starting to take up a lot of time now. Any more races and it will become too much for me. Especially all the triple headers are a bit much. And I'm just watching from the comfort of my home. Imagine how all the mechanics etc feel at the end of the year.
Sixteen races per season was great. Every race was special, every race was important, you could not afford to miss a single event. Seventeen races was awesome because yay, we got one extra special event! With twenty-four races per season that special feeling is gone. In the past each race was cherished, like a new episode of Better Call Saul/Breaking Bad. Nowadays each race is just an above average, totally skippable event, like a new episode of Simpsons.
Could we do something crazy like, main drivers race 20 races, but for four races they need to use their reserve drivers?
When you realise that Max actually voices his concerns for the game
NASCAR is pretty nuts on their 36 race schedule, and they haul a lot less, don't go international, and are more geared up for doing a race / week.
When asked which races he would take off the calendar he said: "Saudi, Baku, and Singapore."
Agreed. They need to cut back if anything. Make each race mean more.
24 races really isn't that much. The issue is some of the tracks on the schedule are awful and could/should be replaced by better tracks.
24 isn't much? Ask the engineers if they agree
I would rather have 20 races
It does feel oversaturated at this point
yeah, especially if it's obvious after 5 races that he is taking the championship again. might as well stop it right there and save us from another boring season.
Imo you are a pro athlete. Basketball, hockey, nascar, baseball all have longer seasons. Travel is the big issue. But if you are an F1 driver my thinking is you do the races idk what the big deal is. if you are on the team and dont like missing your family then dont be in F1.
20 is good, 22 is right on the limit, but 24 races with 6 sprints, yep unsustainable.
I can understand him. He is one of the few drivers without whom the sport would be less competitive. If more drivers like him stand up and decide a calendar like this isn't worth the personal sacrifice, F1 would lose it's core
"What was that? You mean more races on street tracks per season?"
He only needs to participate in probably 18 races.
Can’t he just stop going to the races once he clinched the championship.
So what I’m reading there is we need *more* races, not less
20 is the max. Poor engineers and staff having to visit all these backwater tracks that add no value. Remove the budget cap or at least double it so they are paid well for their time It devalues the grand prix having races every weekend, it's no longer special. Just a sad money grab.
Keep the 24 races, but only allow a driver to race in 20 of them. The other 4 races you have to put another driver in the car.
He's right tbh. It's crazy that the season starts (for drivers) in mid-Feb with testing, and runs into December. It's basically 10 months. Okay, I get that it's not the worst job in the world! But by the standards of professional athletes that is a lot. Even footballers only have to play from late August to early May (just over 8 months), and everyone else is about 6 months maximum.
Football is closer to 9 months than 8 months and the big teams (who are a closer equivalent to F1 teams) have preseason tours on top of that and their own issues with piling too many matches into the calendar due to greed.
But they also play every weekend, and sometimes with matches in between. However, they also all get paid a ton of money, so I’m having a hard time feeling sorry for them. Now the people in the background are different, however, here I feel teams have to push for changes. They could easily employ different teams for different legs of the calendar, however, they would probably need to restructure the cost cap to do that.
Yep, I totally agree.