The grueling Formula 1 schedule turns participants (drivers, mechanics, and other team members) into “zombies” due to exhaustion. It highlights the intensity and accumulated fatigue throughout the season, which becomes so substantial that those involved start to feel like zombies, that is, drained and depleted, from following such a demanding schedule. This is how Max Verstappen has described the plans to extend the F1 calendar.
For instance, Sergio Pérez agrees with his teammate: but has he discussed with his boss Christian Horner the need to reduce the number of Grand Prix? Are drivers and team principals on the same page about this?
“We’re trying, and I believe it’s a lengthy process. We’re attempting to communicate certain messages.”
“To be honest, it’s not just the drivers, there are also many mechanics and engineers. They travel the world weekend after weekend and spend numerous hours on planes.”
“So, this is something that needs to be considered. It’s the first year with 24 races, but we’ve already seen last year how people were in Abu Dhabi. So, we’ll see what happens this year.”
“I think this number of races is simply too much…”
“As drivers, we’re not only busy on the weekends, but we also do preparation in the simulator, and we head to the simulator after each race.”
“We have a lot of sponsorship commitments. So, it’s a long-term job.”
“It’s not just for the drivers, but also for the mechanics. They arrive here on Tuesday, and weekend after weekend, I think it’s a bit too much.”
“So, I think it’s important for the calendar to at least try to maintain this limit or, if not, to lower it.”
“Let’s see how it goes this year, but I remember seeing a lot of zombies in Abu Dhabi after Las Vegas in 2023.”
Sainz envisions a rotation among F1 drivers!
Echoing the alarming yet realistic comments of Sergio Pérez, Carlos Sainz also believes that F1 is already flirting with the limits of what’s bearable.
Is a general breaking point closer than we think?
“We’ve already reached the limit of the number of races that the staff, drivers, F1, F1 people, journalists, etc., can handle over a year if you want to have a family back home to see and keep in touch with your home.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s your family, your dog, or anything else, it’s just on the verge of being excessive, and I really hope it doesn’t go beyond 24, because otherwise, I think it will be very tricky for everyone.”
The Ferrari driver highlights a paradox: Liberty Media wants to generate more revenue by organizing more Grand Prix events, but the link is not automatic…
“F1 risks becoming too regular… having a race every weekend might, to some extent, diminish the appetite of everyone who turns on the TV to watch F1, and I think F1 needs to remain exclusive.”
“F1 must remain a sport that everyone looks forward to, not something you get used to by turning on the TV, like a [soccer] league match every weekend.”
And the Spaniard, in addition to rotating engineers, even envisions rotating drivers!
“If we’ve reached the point where we even need to rotate drivers, it means we’ve gone too far. And I think we’re already quite close to that limit.”
Alonso Warns: F1’s Limits Surpassed Already
The veteran of the grid, Fernando Alonso, doesn’t think F1 is flirting with the limit… on the contrary, the limits have already been crossed!
“We’ve far exceeded the limit. I agree with all the comments. When I started in F1, there were 17 races. Then it was 18 at one point. And then I think when Liberty came along, we were told 20 races was absolutely the limit.”
“And now, we’re at 24. And yes, it’s not sustainable for the future, I think for everyone.”
“Even Max, who wins everything, thinks the season is a bit long. Imagine for the rest of us, you know, we sometimes go to Grands Prix for nothing, in the second half of the season, I mean, there’s no motivation to fight for anything. It’s going to be detrimental to the sport.”
F1 Exhausting Schedule 2024. F1 Exhausting Schedule 2024. 2024 F1 Exhausting Schedule 2024.
- Domenicali Stands Firm on Andretti’s F1 Entry
- Following us on Facebook and Twitter.
