Sebastian Vettel: F1 could lose its “specialness” if there are too many races

If the calendar continues to increase, Sebastian Vettel says, the sport will lose valuable personnel and the grand prix would cease to be’special’ events.

The announcement of F1’s 2022 schedule on Friday means the sport will have its biggest season yet next year, with 23 races scheduled between the middle of March and the middle of November.

Several teams have already expressed their dissatisfaction with the schedule’s stresses and strains on staff, but F1’s plans for 2022 have been accepted.

However, Vettel, who began his F1 career at an era when there were fewer races but more tests, believes there is a downside to the sport’s expansion of the schedule.

“This is only my opinion, and it’s not worth anything, but I think we should not have that many races,” said Vettel.

“It’s for a number of reasons. I think one, maybe it’s too many races for the people to watch. It’s not special any more, if there’s that many.

“And second, I feel for [the staff]. Us drivers, we are at the good side of things: we can arrive on a Wednesday night and leave if we find a flight etcetera on a Sunday night.

“But the team already has a lot more stress. They arrived Monday or Saturday the week before, they build the garage, prepare the cars, and then also they have to run the full week and then pack down, send everything back, and prepare back in the factory.

“For them, it’s a job that you’re busy all weekdays and nearly every weekend, so you have no time for yourself. And I think we are in a time where people are growing more and more conscious that they have a life too, and that the life doesn’t belong to the employer.”

The increase in the number of races on the F1 calendar, combined with the inclusion of much triple headers, has already led to some employees opting for factory jobs or leaving from grand prix racing entirely.

Vettel believes it would be a mistake for Formula One to burn out its personnel in the quest of more races.

“I’m not in charge and obviously there’s some other interests, but it’s just making sure that people have a balance between their life at home and the time spent away,” he explained.

“I think it should be a number of races that is sustainable for keeping your passion for many years and not being, you know, sucked out after two or three years.”

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