Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says it is “no secret” that a 24-race schedule is the target for 2024 but insists reducing travel between races is also under consideration.
F1’s growth in recent years has seen a higher demand for new races to join the calendar, with the current schedule amassing to a record-breaking 23 rounds.
But the structure of the calendar does require teams to travel long distances repeatedly between races, with next week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix followed by a trip across the Atlantic to Miami just a week later.
Mercedes driver George Russell revealed drivers are in talks with F1 chiefs to improve how the schedule is organised to minimise the amount of travelling they need to do.
Liberty Media president, Greg Maffei, admitted the ongoing growth of the calendar “does drain people and there’s a lot of travel.”
But while re-organising the schedule is a matter that F1 is looking to address, Domenicali said it would not be straightforward due to the demands of each race promoter.
“Of course every single promoter has some reasons to have a certain weekend, a certain opportunity,” said Domenicali, as quoted by RaceFans.
“We try to make sure that in the year after year we have a quite leaner approach, as much as we can, in order to minimise the movement. Because of course we have a very ambitious target with our carbon neutrality 2030, that has a big effect.
“We are a world championship, we are not doing it in the one single region, we’re moving it all around the world. So we take that very seriously.”
Domenicali stressed reducing the amount of travel between grand prix’s was a target, but pointed out that races grouped in the same region prefer to be separated amid competition for ticket sales.
“We’re going to try to be as effective as we can in order to minimise the ups and downs from different regions, different countries,” he said.
“Of course, knowing that we cannot have, for example, four races in a row in the same continent because we’re going to have a problem commercially and for other reasons.
“But for sure there is a lot of attention in this subject in order to develop the calendar the best way that we can.”
Although a better-organised schedule is in the works, Domenicali said the calendar is likely to reach a new high of 24 races next year.
“There’s no secret that next year the objective is to have 24 races.”
