Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has warned Formula 1’s inclusion of triple-headers on next year’s provisional 23-race calendar will “take a toll” on crew members.
Two triple-headers have been scheduled for 2021, one in Europe featuring Spa, Zandvoort and Monza, and the second including three flyaway events in Russia, Singapore and Japan.
F1 first adopted the use of three back-to-back races in 2018, but it proved an unpopular move due to the added strain it put on teams.
This season’s truncated schedule saw triple-headers return to aid the sport’s bid to increase the number of races around the global coronavirus pandemic.
The decision to reintroduce them in 2021 has drawn criticism from several team bosses, with concerns the travelling will lead to staff being overworked.
“I think the teams are the beneficiaries of growing revenue and income,” Wolff said, as quoted by Motorsport.com. “In that respect we all need to support for the business to grow.
“On the other side a couple of triple-headers will take a toll on the people. I think there is an Asian triple-header that will mean we are more than three weeks away from home and that is certainly not something that is great.”
Wolff said Mercedes is considering staff rotation to help its employees cope with the extra load.
“You must not forget that the hardest working people are the ones that set up the garages and take them down and the mechanics that will have overnighters if something goes wrong,” Wolff added.
“You need to question how long that is sustainable and whether you implement a different system by having a second crew that can take over these toughest roles and this is something we are looking at at the moment.”
Haas F1 chief Gunther Steiner echoed Wolff’s comments, and also urged F1’s owner Liberty Media to ensure its target to expand the calendar is sustainable going forward.
“It will take a toll on the people but I think especially in the times we are in now we need to do it,” Steiner said.
“But then FOM needs to look into it, if it’s something we want to do for the long term, if this many races are sustainable and if there is no saturation coming in by the spectators.”
Steiner believes teams will be forced to look into solutions to avoid its crews from should the calendar expand further in the future.
“On the people side we need to come up with plans that we don’t overwork them,” Steiner said.
“We overwork them anyway, but we need to be clear that we cannot demand that all the time.
“If it gives us more revenue we need to come up with ideas where we make it sustainable for ourselves, where we don’t need to wait until we are told to do that.
“It’s part of where Formula 1 is going. We will just find out in a few years if more races is the right way. We need to try it and try to find some solution where our people do not get worn out.”
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