The 2024 F1 calendar is likely to feature a record-breaking 24 races but the series admits the growing schedule is putting a strain on staff.
“We have a calendar, some of which [for] historical reasons, [has] gotten to 24,” said president of F1 owners Liberty Media last week. “It does drain people and there’s a lot of travel.”However the growth of the schedule is only part of what makes F1’s calendar so gruelling. The structure of the calendar means teams repeatedly have to travel unnecessarily long distances. The current schedule includes three separate return trips across the Atlantic ocean.
George Russell recently revealed in a conversation with tennis championship Novak Djokovic that drivers are encouraging F1 to improve the organisation of its calendar to reduce the amount of travel they need to do. Making the layout of the schedule more efficient in this way promises other benefits, such as reducing the sport’s carbon emissions.
However F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said achieving that is not straightforward due to the competing needs of different race promoters. “Of course every single promoter has some reasons to have a certain weekend, a certain opportunity,” he said.
“We try to make sure that in the year after year we have a quite leaner approach, as much as we can, in order to minimise the movement. Because of course we have a very ambitious target with our carbon neutrality 2030, that has a big effect.
“We are a world championship, we are not doing it in the one single region, we’re moving it all around the world. So we take that very seriously.”
He pointed out that organisers of races which are grouped closely together geographically prefer to be separated on the calendar to reduce competition for ticket sales.
“We’re going to try to be as effective as we can in order to minimise the ups and downs from different regions, different countries,” said Domenicali. “Of course, knowing that we cannot have, for example, four races in a row in the same continent because we’re going to have a problem commercially and for other reasons.
“But for sure there is a lot of attention in this subject in order to develop the calendar the best way that we can.”
However he stated the calendar is likely to grow again in 2024. “There’s no secret that next year the objective is to have 24 races.”
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Tom (@hadws)
20th April 2023, 9:06
“Some of you may die, but that is a risk I am willing to take.”
– Lord Farquaad
Velocityboy (@velocityboy)
20th April 2023, 22:15
+1
Ruben
20th April 2023, 9:50
Why not? The grand tours in cycling for instance all have 21 stages within the same country. As long is there’s good variety in tracks I can’t see why commercially that would be impossible.
Otherwise: this is all getting rather silly. Shall we start a new pinnacle of motorsport racing series? The Races, brought to you by the RaceFans comment section?
SteveM
20th April 2023, 11:43
Cycling tours do not sell tickets to watch them. F1 promoters do.
As per the article
Quote: “He pointed out that organisers of races which are grouped closely together geographically prefer to be separated on the calendar to reduce competition for ticket sales”
Different F1 promoters in the same continent do not want close proximity races too scheduled together as they will be competing for ticket sales. If Miami and Las Vegas were 1 week apart then not many people would go to both. But put them 6 months apart, it’s likely many more people will go to both races.
Ruben
20th April 2023, 15:25
Absolutely true. But what about concert tours? There’s major (rock) bands, whose tickets aren’t cheap per sé, who plan legs per continent too.
Who am I to question their multi $$ organisation, but somehow I feel there’s creative opportunities in case they’d really wanted to go continent per continent.
anon
20th April 2023, 21:35
SteveM, is there necessarily quite as much of an overlap as you suggest, given that Miami and Las Vegas are around 2,500 miles apart?
We don’t think that it is a problem to hold a race in Imola and then another in Monaco a week later, even though those venues are only fractionally over 300 miles from each other. The Belgian and Italian GP’s have often been paired together, despite being only around 490 miles from each other, and this year we’re pairing the Hungarian and Belgian GP’s and the Austrian and British GP’s together, even though those races are geographically far closer to each other than Miami is to Las Vegas.
Dave Hunt
20th April 2023, 9:55
So it’s going to be 23 races again after the inevitable cancellation of the China round?
Exediron (@exediron)
20th April 2023, 10:03
Is there anyone who actually wants 24 races?
bosyber (@bosyber)
20th April 2023, 10:39
Well clearly those getting money from it. Though I suppose they would be satisfied with the money without the races too @exediron
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
20th April 2023, 11:25
I am happy with 24 races, but I am not working at them.
SteveR (@stever)
20th April 2023, 16:37
I miss the old days when there were 16 races, every other weekend, with, IIRC, a three week gap in summer. The number of races is getting ridiculous and is diluting the worth of each.
JV
21st April 2023, 12:13
I remember when they made it possible for up to 25 races, but then also said they were never going to actually do it, because even at 21+, people were raising concerns. And here we are.
jamt
20th April 2023, 10:08
Given the F1 popularity, it is quite intriguing why F1 cannot impose their own calendar. Each race is hosted in a different country, except for the US. So, for the majority of the calendar there should not be any major reason to see reduced ticket sales from one event to another. In the particular case of the US, the country has a population about 330 mill., with season averaged 1 million viewers per race. Seems there is enough people to secure 200k ticket sales per race. Anyway, how many people travel long distances, let’s say from Miami to Austin, to attend a F1 race?
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
20th April 2023, 10:15
Not only does it drain participants, it drains fans as well. No way I’d be watching 24.
I’ve cherry picked last season and not even bothering with most races this year because it requires too much time. That being said, I doubt that those in charge are all that bothered and count on fans only watching some of the 24 in the hope that differs fans will choose different races.
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
20th April 2023, 11:28
Understand what you are saying completely – I am comfortable watching 24 races a year, but it’s not easy for everyone and that’s unfortunate.
Once F1 receives its fees from the circuits and the tv companies I don’t believe it actually cares if anyone actually watches.
tielemst
20th April 2023, 11:45
Well, as a positive: Domenicali for once didn’t use the word “market” in his response. He did use “commercially” though, and I’m curious what the other reasons could be not to hold more races in a row in the same region. He doesn’t seem able to name one.
Jere (@jerejj)
20th April 2023, 16:25
The commercial aspect theory with regionalization has always been questionable & even more so these days, given the likes of Spa & Zandvoort have been on consecutive weekends (yes, not anymore, but for a different reason).
Overall, as regionalized as practicable should be the minimum target & for example, Pairing the Australian GP with another event would be wise, but that wouldn’t necessarily have to be a Middle East round as China & Japan are also viable options.
Concerning the race calendar generally, differences in climatic conditions are ultimately the biggest obstacle to an entirely regionalized schedule.
Not having a single triple-header should be an even more prioritized target for now & this is achievable even with 24 GPs without shortening the summer-break interval, as the following draft calendar I’ve come up with shows.
I’ve considered possible changes, such as Baku & Suzuka moving, & the Ramadan phase that covers most of March, etc.
I’ve still kept the schedule mostly unchanged just to be sure of avoiding triples.
Saudi Arabian GP 3.3
Australian GP 10.3
Chinese GP 24.3
Japanese GP 31.3
Bahrain GP 14.4
Miami GP/Spanish GP/Emilia-Romagna GP 28.4
Spanish GP/Miami/Emilia-Romagna GP 12.5
Monaco GP 26.5
Emilia-Romagna GP/Spanish GP 2.6
Canadian GP 16.6
Belgian GP 30.6
British GP 7.7
Austrian GP 21.7
Hungarian GP 28.7
Dutch GP 25.8
Italian GP 1.9
Singapore GP 15.9
Azerbaijan GP 22.9
Qatar GP 6.10
US GP 20.10
Mexico City GP 27.10
Sao Paulo GP 10.11
LV GP 16.11
Abu Dhabi GP 1.12
For rounds 6, 7, & 9, the specific order is secondary as all options avoid triples.
Simon
20th April 2023, 22:24
🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱 Here we go again
Palindnilap (@palindnilap)
20th April 2023, 17:03
I think 20 races with 24 cars would make more sense than 24 races with 20 cars.
floodo1 (@floodo1)
21st April 2023, 6:21
Interesting that they think multiple races in the same region creates a commercial conflict while ignoring that 24 races devalues every race anywhere
MacLeod (@macleod)
21st April 2023, 7:50
Very strange when Belgium and the Dutch GP were 1 week apart both were still sold out …. So what for commercial conflict they mean?