Christian Horner has recently pointed towards the increasing number of races responsible for drivers’ possible early retirements, especially from Max Verstappen. The way the sport has been increasing races each year has been “brutal” according to the Red Bull boss.
Talking to Sky Sports F1, Horner said, “It is a brutal calendar and it does take its toll at some point.” The Briton also shared that a season of 23 races [2023 F1 season] is tough for everyone involved in the sport.
The 49-year-old honcho added that the increase in the number of races takes a heavy toll on drivers. Most importantly, it’s far more for the mechanics as they travel at the beginning of the week and return on Monday of next week.
As the authorities began experimenting with the sprint races and increased the number of spirit races from three to six, Verstappen has already warned that he might not stay in the sport for long.
Max Verstappen warned he won’t be here for long
Someone who’s not liking the increased amount of races that includes both main and sprint races is Verstappen. The Dutchman, who’s certainly not a fan of the Sprint races, has said that he won’t be in the sport if the authorities start adding more races to the calendar.
Having called them hectic and intense, the two-time world champion known to destroy his opponents stated that when he does all that [free practices, qualifications, sprint race, and then the main race], the weekend becomes very hectic and they already have to do a lot of races.
The Dutchman further asserted that the sport is probably heading to seasons where it will have 24-25 races in a calendar year. If the authorities start adding more, Verstappen said he will not enjoy them and is not worth it for him.
F1 chief said the sport could have had 32 races
Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali recently revealed that the sport could hold up to 30-32 races in the coming days. He made these comments after the conclusion of the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.
As per reports, Domenicali said that F1 could easily have races ranging from 30 to 32 since everyone wants a race. He added that a few years ago there were doubts if they will stay in the United States, but current statistics show that the US has three races in a single season.
Admittedly, the boom of F1 has been surreal in the last couple of years. Thanks to social media and Netflix’s Drive to Survive, the most premium form of motorsport now has a huge influx of fans, all around the world.
