#Next F1 season will be longest calendar of 24 races in sport’s history

[f1]

Next F1 season will be longest calendar of 24 races in sports history

Formula One bosses have announced the longest calendar in the sport’s history with a record-breaking 24 races scheduled for next season. The campaign will open on a Saturday in Bahrain on 2 March and end more than 10 months later in Abu Dhabi on 8 December. The British Grand Prix will take place at Silverstone on 7 July, avoiding a clash with the Wimbledon men’s singes final, and the concluding day of golf’s Open Championship at Royal Troon. The Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai is also pencilled in for its first F1 race since 2019. F1 races traditionally take place on a Sunday, but next year’s schedule kicks off with back-to-back Saturday night races, first in Bahrain and then in Saudi Arabia, to accommodate Ramadan. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “There is huge interest and continued demand for Formula One, and I believe this calendar strikes the right balance between traditional races and new and existing venues. “Our journey to a more sustainable calendar will continue in the coming years as we further streamline operations as part of our Net Zero 2030 commitment. “We have plenty of racing to look forward to in 2023, including the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, and our fans can look forward to more excitement next season.” via Formula One | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sport/formulaone

[carformula1]

Steiner reveals concerns over bustling F1 calendar Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner... #usa #uk #ireland

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F1 teams angered by FIAs surprise announcement of 24-race calendar

Formula One teams were left angry and frustrated when taken by surprise at the FIA’s announcement of the sport’s calendar for 2023. The governing body’s unexpected release of the new schedule took place without warning and without the teams’ approval of a triple-header for next season, ramping up the increasingly fractious relationship at the heart of the sport. The 24-race schedule was declared on Tuesday without the usual collaboration with F1 itself, the sport’s commercial rights holder. Sources within the sport believe it has only compounded the sense of fatigue and disconnect the teams feel with the FIA which became clear after the Italian Grand Prix. One team member said the FIA’s attitude was “unacceptable”. The new calendar had been expected on Friday. However after a meeting of the world motor sport council on Tuesday the FIA unilaterally released it. It features a record number of races in a season that opens in Bahrain on 5 March and concludes in Abu Dhabi on 26 November. The lack of notice was not the only problem felt within the sport. The inclusion of a fly-away triple header of USA, Mexico and Brazil, requires the approval of the teams. It is expected they would accept the proposal, as they have in the past, but there was exasperation that the FIA failed to consult them. F1 officials were also surprised by the announcement, a state of affairs that is unlikely to improve the already testing relationship between the sport’s owners and its governing body. The sport was given no chance to separately publicise the new deal they had done with the Monaco GP until 2025 or the confirmation of the date of the new Las Vegas GP. Instead they had to swiftly issue press releases confirming them in the wake of the calendar. After the Italian GP, the FIA and its president, Mohammed ben Sulayem, took considerable criticism over their slow issuing of the grid after qualifying and then the use of the safety car at the end of the race. The governing body has insisted it retains a good working relationship with the teams but an already fraught atmosphere has now only been intensified as the teams consider the longest, most gruelling season in the sport’s history. via Formula One | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sport/formulaone

[f1]

South African GP: F1 closes in on deal for return of race

Max Verstappen won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the weekend Formula 1 is closing in on a deal for the return of a race in South Africa next year. F1 president Stefano Domenicali flew to South Africa from Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix to meet with representatives of the Kyalami circuit. Insiders say an agreement is some weeks from completion but the target is to secure a date in 2023. Kyalami, a fixture on the calendar in the 1970s and early 1980s, last held a South African Grand Prix in 1993. There has been no F1 race in Africa since then, and it has been an ambition of commercial rights holders Liberty Media to secure one. If a deal can be reached in South Africa, F1 could hold as many as 24 races next year, which would be the longest season in history. However, that could depend on whether China is able to return the calendar as planned. China has not hosted a grand prix since the coronavirus pandemic started, and its place on next year's calendar remains in doubt because Covid-19 continues to be a major concern in the country. If the South African race happens, it is not clear when in the season it would be held. But it is likely to mean the Belgian Grand Prix at historic Spa-Francorchamps would drop off the calendar. F1 has already confirmed a new race in Las Vegas next season, likely to be held in November. If both China and South Africa happen in 2023, Belgium is top of the list to make way. Although Spa is regarded as one of the finest drivers' circuits in the world and holds classic status, F1 is concerned that the track's infrastructure and facilities are out of place following recent developments at other circuits. The return of Zandvoort in the Netherlands last year was a hit, and F1 feels it can represent that region of Europe successfully without the need for Spa, the loss of which would likely upset devoted fans of the sport. If Spa was removed from the calendar next season, it would not necessarily be the end for the event - it could become one of a number of races that rotate through the calendar from year to year. Monaco is another classic race that is under threat for next season, because of dissatisfaction at F1 with a number of aspects of the running of the event. via BBC Sport - Formula 1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/