Christian Horner has shockingly relented to the 23-race idea, going back on his earlier reservations about the stacked calendar.
F1 is set to run a record 23 races next season. It will be an unprecedented amount, and the decision from the FIA has come under massive scrutiny from many prominent figures of the sport. They warned that it would be a logistical and workload nightmare for their teams.
Earlier, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff had suggested that the idea was ludicrous. At the time, the Red Bull Team Principal had agreed with his counterpart.
However, Horner shockingly relented to the 23-race idea, doing a complete 180 on his comments about how the idea was not feasible.
Speaking to Sportsmail, Horner said, “Everybody has choices in life. You could go to Formula Two and do 12 races and earn half the money.
“I think a lot of guys in the paddock forget that 10 or 15 years ago, we went testing in January, and then the drivers and their race engineers would go from race to test to race to test.
“In terms of work balance, we don’t see the mechanics in the factory much between races because the cars aren’t there.”
Tweaks
Horner also emphasised that while he agrees with the idea, it needs to be slightly tweaked. Doing that, he suggested, would make sure it is great for everyone.
According to him, the races should be arranged according to the continents being raced in. This would be in stark contrast to the current format of the schedule, which has races scattered everywhere.
“I think it is manageable if we are going to the right venues in the right order around the world,” Horner said.
While 23 races is more entertainment for fans, it is more work for those part of the sport. There will be more travel, more logistics, more deadlines and of course more pressure and stress throughout.
It will be up to F1 and higher-ups like Horner to make sure the whole thing is conducted smoothly.
Read more: Horner takes aim at ‘political’ Wolff – “People respond to pressure in different ways”