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F1 working on strategy for 25-race season

2024 F1 season

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The recently-announced 2023 Formula 1 calendar includes a record 24 races, but the series is working on a strategy to add a 25th.

An advertisement for the role of ‘commercial manager [for] race promotion’ at F1 reveals details of its future goals.

Among the six key responsibilities listed for the role, the first is: “supporting the head of race promotion in executing on F1’s business strategy of growing the future race calendar to up to 25 races, which will include the research, evaluation, prospecting, and negotiation of potential new race locations”.

The second responsibility is: “operating across departments to create the greatest opportunity for the business in new race locations”.

The Concorde Agreement only permits 25 races to be held during a season if teams vote to extend the calendar beyond next year’s two dozen rounds.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said in August he believes 24 races is the “maximum” F1 should hold. “I don’t want to discuss any more than that number,” he said, “because in the end we have the problem of the value of it and also in terms of demand for the people and everyone that is around the world – not only the teams, but also [the media] and everyone that is working for Formula 1.”

However he also said in March this year he has enough interest from promoters to fill 30 slots on the calendar.

Next year’s calendar will rise to 24 rounds despite the French Grand Prix being dropped from the schedule and the termination of the Russian Grand Prix contract being following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. A new race is being added in Las Vegas, USA and events in China and Qatar will return to the schedule.

F1 is known to be keen on bringing South Africa back to the schedule. Discussions around a return to Kyalami, which held the country’s last race in 1993, failed to result in an agreement for next year.

South Africa could gain a place on the 2024 calendar without the schedule expanding to 25 races, as the contracts of some events will end after next season. This includes the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, which only secured a single-year contract extension for 2023.

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Ida Wood
Often found in junior single-seater paddocks around Europe doing journalism and television commentary, or dabbling in teaching photography back in the UK. Currently based...
Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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8 comments on “F1 working on strategy for 25-race season”

  1. José Lopes da Silva
    1st October 2022, 9:23

    Why not 50 races? Qualify on Friday, Race 1 on Saturday, Reverse Results Race 2 on Sunday. Also, reduce each race for 150 km to slash costs. We’ll have twice the same internet push notifications for the same mileage. And people do not pay atention to 300 km anyway, because they need a dopamine rush every 5 minutes. And we get wacky Sunday races! And we terminate sprint races! Only pluses!

    In case a race track is close enough, we can do Race 1 in Spa and race 2 in Zandvoort, or Race 1 in Spielberg and race 2 in Budapest, Race 1 in Interlagos and Race 2 in Copacabana/Rio de Janeiro, etc.
    #irony #joke

  2. It would be a lot easier on the teams if they did the races in a sensible order based on geography.

    For example, they could do Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi, Abu Dhabi, all in quick succession. Cuts down on freight, travel time and they get to say it’s good for the environment.

    1. The catch is that geographically-adjacent races in quick succession can eat into each other’s ticket sales.

  3. What’s wrong with these people? When is enough, enough? They expect teams to use less resources, both physical and natural and stay within tighter budget caps but they keep trying to increase the number of races.

    Have they never heard of the concept of quality over quantity?

    1. They are encouraging the teams to spend less money developing their cars privately, shrouded by secrecy – and more time racing them, where they can be seen and enjoyed.
      That benefits everyone.

      I find it funny when people use the argument of quality vs quantity as though they are mutually exclusive.
      Having less of something does not improve its quality, and raising its quality does not require that there be less of it.

  4. Does all this money end up in Stefano Domenicali’s personal savings account or what.

    1. Domenicali is doing what his bosses told him to do. In the end, it’s Liberty that wants more revenue from more races.
      I’ve read that Nascar increased the number of races in its calendar and saw a drop in its viewership, leading to a decrease in the number of races. Liberty should take note.

  5. I’m sending my CV!

Comments are closed.