Mercedes had been through a downfall since the new cost cap era began. The F1 authorities had been trying to make the sport more interesting over the years. Hence, they have been changing the rules every now and then. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen expressed his frustration over the hectic F1 schedule a few months ago. No matter who’s winning and who’s losing, this schedule may sound interesting, but it is hectic for all team personnel, including the drivers.
The Silver Arrows racer and GPDA Director, George Russell, recently voiced his concerns over the hectic and intense race schedule. Due to environmental changes and constant travel, Russell pointed out the health problems of many team members. Currently, almost 4000 members are part of F1 directly or indirectly. Russell mentioned the schedule at present is not sustainable for every 4000 people. Hence, ongoing discussions are going on for regulating the attendance of team personnel in future seasons.
Mercedes Director Revealed Ongoing Talks With FIA On How To Reduce Stress Of Every Team Personnel
Recently, James Allison spoke on the Performance People podcast, mentioning that an intense schedule takes a toll on team members. The Mercedes Technical Director explained that the traveling folks spent more than six months on the road. It is essential to understand that the mode of work is tiring and really demanding. Hence, the suggestion they are trying to provide to FIA and F1 is an introduction to a new rule that limits every team personnel’s attendance to all the races.
Perhaps every member may get to attend as many as 20 races and not more than that. Then the teams must find new methods to cope with the absence of those team members in those four races. At the end of the day, the Mercedes director is talking about the goal of some time to rest and recharge for every member. But as per that rule, team principals would also have to respect it. And the drivers will get to hear different voices on the radio four times a year. James Allison feels they can manage it in a good way.
The F1 Race Calendar Is Getting Stressful For Every Team Member
At first, the F1 and FIA introduced the cost cap regulations to make the races fair for all the drivers and teams in the sport. Hence, teams like McLaren and Aston Martin are starting to perform really well in 2023. They competed pretty well against the so-called powerhouses Mercedes and Ferrari. But nobody really could reach Red Bull’s level of pace. However, all the teams had to race in 22 races this year. It could have been 23 if the Imola flood hadn’t caused the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Anyway, it is clear that the F1 race schedule is just getting very stressful and hectic for the teams. Moreover, as per the rules, F1 will host 24 races next year. It might be great for the sport financially, but physically, it is not good for team personnel’s fatigues. Hence, it will be even more hectic than the 2023 season. Naturally, every team is not totally happy about the long list of races throughout the year.
