Sainz Warns F1 About Becoming 'Too Constant' And Losing Interest Among Fans

Wednesday, 28 February 2024 at 15:50

Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz shared his opinion on the increasing amount of races in the Formula 1 calendar.

The season that is about to start with this week's race in Bahrain is set to be the longest and the most challenging season in the history of F1.

The 2024 schedule includes 24 Grand Prix races and 6 Sprints, amounting to a total of 30 races in one year. The sheer number of races isn't the only problem.

The frequent traveling and having to adjust to different time zones without a proper break for rest and recovery is what makes everything more challenging, not only for drivers but for everyone in the paddock.

The complaints about the intensity of the F1 calendar have been growing ever since the end of the most recent season. George Russell called for a change after the end of the season as he revealed many people in the paddock, including his mechanics, fell ill from all the exhaustion combined with time zone shifts.

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However, the calendar for the 2024 season stayed the same, and how the ten F1 teams will be able to cope with it remains to be seen. Speaking about the busy schedule ahead of the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz said:

“"I think we’re already at the limit for the number of races that team personnel, drivers etc can take during a year if you want to have a family back home you want to see."”

Moreover, the Ferrari driver pinpointed another risk that F1 might want to consider with the increasing number of races. He said:

“"I think F1 is risking becoming too constant and losing the appetite for people watching on TV."”

It seems that Formula 1 management believes that fans, in general, want to see more races. Increasing the number of race weekends also makes sense for the organization from the profitability perspective.

However, Sainz believes it could take away the magic and the excitement associated with Grand Prix weekend, which could occur every two weeks. What do you think?