Formula 1 drivers endure a grueling training regime, making them one of the most robust athletes globally. Yet, even the drivers were not immune to the physical and mental stress of an extensive 24-race calendar last season.
Williams driver Alex Albon explained just how hard it was for him to endure a season like that. In particular, the British-Thai driver pointed out the immense jet lag of the last leg of the season.
“[The] 2024 calendar we had was quite strenuous on the body. The jet lag, finishing off with Vegas [then] Qatar and Abu Dhabi. My body was destroyed at the end,” he explained in a video uploaded by the Grove-based team on their YouTube channel.
Albon also revealed that he needed an entire week to recover from the trials and tribulations of the season.
Been busy, mandatory training camp pics ✅ pic.twitter.com/MXFj3fH3nx
— Alex Albon (@alex_albon) January 19, 2025
Going into 2025, the sport will retain the number of races on the calendar. But talks have been going on behind the scenes to expand the calendar to accommodate more races such as South Africa and South Korea.
While more races will definitely make scheduling even harder, drivers and team personnel are not even happy about how the calendar is currently scheduled.
F1 drivers and personnel call out the sport for its grueling calendar
Albon isn’t the only driver in the paddock that has raised his concerns over the schedule. His former teammate and four-time world champion Max Verstappen has often raised this topic in the past.
“From my side I’ve said it before; this is not sustainable,” he had said last year as quoted by ESPN when asked about the 24-race calendar. Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso also echoed similar sentiments.
And even team personnel and crew members are discontent about the current situation. Red Bull technician Calum Nicholas went as far as signaling his intent to quit the sport altogether if the plans of expansion continue.
“I mean, look at it this season, you know, by the time you’ve done pre-season testing, the old tire tests in the middle, and the Abu Dhabi test at the end of the season, you’re away for the best part — 200 days a year,” he said last season while explaining how he was contemplating retiring already.
In order to address the concerns of fatigue, many teams are dabbling with the idea of introducing rotational squads to ensure that the crew members are not being put under too much pressure. McLaren has already tested this out and the other nine teams are likely to adopt a similar approach.
