Formula One is entering the final run of its longest ever season of twenty four Grand Prix and six Sprint events. The last outing in Brazil concluded a triple header of race weekends, which is a fairly new phenomena in F1 and the packed schedule attracted criticism in Sao Paulo from fatigued drivers, media personnel and the race team folk alike.

There are now two weekends off for the F1 crews before a final triple header begins in Las Vegas before moving to the deserts of Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The F1 calendar has been the topic of debate for some time and with the FIA’s push for net zero in 2030 a number of historic F1 events have had to move from their traditional slots in the schedule.

To make the travel footprint of F1 less carbon intensive, the sport is attempting to regionalise the events and so the likes of Japan have been moved to the Spring and coupled with new season opener in Australia and then a visit to China, in what now completes the early season flyaways for those countries around the pacific rim.

 

 

 

Longest ever F1 season

While this year’s record 24 race calendar is a source of pride for the owners of the sport because it is the evidence of the increased interest in hosting F1 Grand Prix. Yet even before a wheel turned in anger in Bahrain this year, it was the major topic the drivers’ press conference with Carlos Sainz opening up.

“I think we’re already at the limit of the number of races that team personnel, drivers, F1, people in F1, journalists, etc can take during the year,” said the Spaniard. “It’s just on the limit of being too much and I really hope it just doesn’t go much higher than 24 because if not I think it’s going to be very tricky for everyone.”

Yet with F1 racing on average almost every other weekend of the entire year, Lewis Hamilton was concerned a Grand Prix weekend is becoming too ‘run of the mill.’ “We just have to be conscious of quality vs quantity, and we also have to think about the impact that we have on the world,” Hamilton said adding, “The more races that we put [on], this whole circus travelling everywhere [and creating emissions].”

Paddock grandee Fernando Alonso did not pull his punches claiming the organisers of the sport have already gone too far. “I feel already that we’re way over the limit of races. I know I’m of course still very young but I also know that I’m not doing this for another 10 years, doing 24 races [per year].”

F1 drivers association SLAM FIA president

 

 

 

Alonso says “its over the limit”

The double world champion revealed how when he started in F1, there were just sixteen races a year which over the intervening 24 years has now grown by 50%.

Of course from a financial perspective more F1 races is better for Liberty Media’s bottom line than not. But for now the commercial rights owners have stated they want to grow this pie by improving the quality of the events on offer. Yet the list of willing hosts for an F1 Grand Prix has grown with South Korea considering constructing a new venue and Kyalami appear to have resurrected their hopes with David Coulthard having driven a demo run there recently, declaring it fit to hold an F1 event.

The minister for Argentine tourism met with Stefano Domenicali in Sao Paulo to discuss the return of the countries Grand Prix last held in 1998. However, the Autodromo Oscar Alfredo Galvex has fallen into disrepair over the decades and for a country with huge economic difficulties, the $100m or so required to attain an FIA Grade One license seems to be a bridge too far.

Columbia too have expressed an interest in hosting the Formula One circus and of course Madrid will join the roster in 2026 replacing Barcelona as the host of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Audi sell out their F1 investment

 

 

 

Domenicali: Big announcements coming soon

Stefano Domenicali has been speaking in a Liberty Media investor call this week where he claimed big changes are soon to be announced in relation to the F1 calendar. “For ’26 and beyond, we will have some news to share very, very soon regarding the possibility, in the mid-term, to rotate some European grands prix, and some other new options coming later. This is something we will clarify in due course.”

“It is true we have a large demand of possible new venues that want to come in. Our choice will always be balanced between the right economic benefit we can have as a system, and also to leverage the market where we can see the potential to further grow our business,” the ex-Ferrari team boss revealed.

Its not only the number of races which is dictated by the Concorde Agreement, which binds the FIA, the teams and the commercial rights holder, but also within the legally binding contract there is a clause to protect the European heartland where the sport began.

A minimum of eight F1 races must be held in the region each year, although in days gone by, Baku was listed falsely as a European event to ensure the target was reached. With Barcelona and Madrid bizarrely having contracts for the 2026 season, one of the current crop of European hosts is set to miss out.

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European venues under threat

The topic of F1 venues rotating with another is now new and in fact Hockenheim and the Nurburgring shared the German Grand Prix between 2007 and 2014. Currently most F1 venues are on contracts which see them through to the next decade but notably there are five European races only guaranteed next seasons event.

Monaco is under threat for the historical reasons well known to older F1 observers. The organisers were forced to give up the advertising revenue they received from on circuit advertising last year, bring them in line with the rest of the F1 financial model. The hosting fee too is apparently an issue, since Bernie Ecclestone offered the crown prince a ‘mates’ deal on the fee for helping him acquire the rights to Formula One.

Domenicali appears to rule out an increase in the current 24 races saying, “We believe the balance we have in terms of numbers is the right one,” said the F1 supremo. “Twenty-four is the balance number.

Liberty Media could expand the number of events further, by adding varying levels of competition to the calendar, with the latest proposal shelved for now to promote an F1 race for junior drivers with no full time seat.

In days of F1 yore, there were a number of rounds on the calendar each year, which were not recognised for the drivers’ championship. These could be re-introduced for young driver weekends, although their commercial value would be reduced without the presence of the current F1 star drivers.

Ecclestone shock Hamilton Ferrari prediction

 

 

 

Rookie with just a 5 race F1 contract for 2025

Formula One land is often a place of wild contradictions and surprises as Red Bull Racing have discovered this year. The all dominant world champions who smashed records almost weekly last year are now just third in the constructors’ title race.

Further, for the first time in F1 history, the teams entered the 2024 season with the exact same drivers who completed at the previous Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Now it appears just two teams will start next year with the same driver lineup.

McLaren have been excluded from this year’s extended silly season, kicked off by Lewis Hamilton before a wheel turned in anger as he announced his move to Ferrari before round one in Bahrain. With Piastri and Norris on long term contracts, the team has even ‘sold on’ its star academy driver, Gabriel Bortoleto, who will race for Sauber next year… READ MORE