The first of the six has just taken place in China Sprint weekend scheduled in the calendar. A packed calendar, with 24 appointments. Stefano Domenicali deserves credit for having put together the longest calendar in the history of F1, despite the difficulties and above all the conflicting opinions on the issue. Even in 2025, published a week ago, we will have 24 races – without however knowing the Sprint events. Domenicali has repeatedly expressed his desire to reach up to 30 races on the calendar, given the expansion of the category. However, he had to settle for 24 matches, the maximum number allowed by the Concorde Agreement.
The problems of such a busy calendar
The Sprints were not received positively by everyone. In particular, Max Verstappen took sides against the format of the race on Saturday. The reigning champion can't stand the show built around the races, and this also includes the Sprint, which forces the teams to do more difficult work, having only one free practice session available to fine-tune the weekend. This year, a new feature has been introduced: the reopening of parc fermé between the Sprint and qualifying for the Sunday race. This change helped make the format “a little better” according to Verstappen, who however remains critical of the fact that the calendar is too long. Lando Norris also expressed his doubts about the Sprint weekend, underlining the fact that the main problem concerns the sustainability of such a busy calendar for mechanics and engineers.
Domenicali's harsh response: “It is not mandatory to race in F1”
However, Stefano Domenicali, CEO of F1, has once again made himself heard on the issue. Domenicali on Sky Sport UK reiterated his idea on the calendar, defending with gritted teeth the number of 24 appointments, also confirmed for 2025. “24 is an optimal figure. I talk to the drivers and it is not mandatory to race in Formula 1. I mean, it's a question of respect for the fans. They want to see them run and us we have a responsibility to fans, partners, promoters and sport. The magic of this sport is that we need heroes who have fun and I'm sure that's the case. And the early announcement of the calendar was made to allow everyone to prepare well in advance and we are gradually regionalizing the calendar.”
Source statements: FormulaPassion
