Horner calls for quality over quantity in F1 calendar expansion
May 18 - Formula 1's 23-race calendar is "insane", according to Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.
Actually, this year's schedule was originally supposed to be 24 grands prix - but due to China's handling of the covid situation, the Shanghai round was once again cancelled.
Now, the calendar has shrunk again to 22 races with the cancellation of this weekend's event at Imola due to local flooding.
But it is clear that the trend is more and more races, with rumours Africa is the next on Formula 1's list.
"You get to the point where you wonder if it's getting too much," Horner told FT.
"23 races is an insane number and so is the mileage we have to cover in a season. For me, it would be better to have better competition on the tracks we already have than to keep adding new ones.
"You eventually get to a breaking point and I feel like we're not far from that," he added.
When Horner entered F1 to become the new Red Bull team's boss in 2005, there were 19 grands prix - and he thinks that number was around about right.
"About 18," he said when asked how many races there should be now.
"The problem is that Stefano (Domenicali) comes in with the same trick over and over," Horner smiled. "He says 'Oh, maybe we can't get to Silverstone then' or 'Monza looks a bit wobbly'.
"And so he says 'Look, we can't lose Monaco, Monza and Silverstone'. Then he'll say 'What about Las Vegas?' Ok, alright, we'll go to Vegas.
"'What about Miami?' Alright, we'll go there too. And they just keep coming up with great venues and great races and it's difficult to say no," said Horner.
"But you get to where 23 Sundays a year for people to take two hours out of their day is a big commitment to follow a whole season."
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He's right, as are his drivers.
I'm okay with the 23-24 range, but this range is definitely more than well enough on all accounts.
Just keep it at 20 races Stefano and raise the fee. nobody is waiting for 25 races man!
Domenicali is building the cash for Liberty Media. F1 is strictly a money making business now, which Domenicali is pushing to the limit of human endurance. Domenicali and Liberty couldn't give a stuff about the teams and competitors situations as long as the huge mountains of cash keep rolling in. Their greed is insatiable!
IMO the bar should be set at no more than 20 races, 18 races being ideal.
Are all organizations in business to make profit?
What makes Liberty any different?
If we’re honest we know it shouldn’t happen at all. We’re all in denial.
Like water, the number of F1 races per season will find it's 'level'.
Personally, fewer is better.
Transport Canada found that an increase in fatal accidents was primarily due to taking 'short-cuts' - not observing standard safety practices. Sometimes these practices were too cumbersome. In most cases it was found where they were gradually 'modified' - ignored - to shorten cycle times or to simply get a job done faster. This lowering of the safety threshold continued until severe injury or death was inevitable.
I fear that what Transport Canada described all those years ago is going to happen in F1. It'll get so frenetic, so pressured to perform, that fatigue and lowered adherence to required safety requirements will inevitably lead to poor judgement, poor decisions, and we'll start to see more and bigger crashes and eventually deaths.
That's not the Formula 1 I want to watch. It's getting to that level now.
Totally agree Eh, these drivers race on a knife edge of control and only a handful of them are at the highest level of skill. Under pressure and fatigue the drivers will not recognise their own limitations.