Sebastian Vettel has given his opinion on having 23 races in 2022, saying it will suck the excitement out of the sport.
F1 has announced that the upcoming season will have 23 races. This will be an unprecedented measure taken by the sport, and it has been announced to mixed reactions from fans.
The schedule also wraps up the season earlier than usual, so there are a lot of races to navigate in relatively little time. There are also triple-headers involved, which makes it all the more hectic.
Vettel gave his opinion on having 23 races in 2022, and said that F1 is setting itself up for a lack of passion in the sport.
“This is only my opinion, and it’s not worth anything, but I think we should not have that many races,” Vettel said, as quoted by f1i.com.
“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.
“Us drivers, we are at the good side of things. We can arrive on a Wednesday night and leave if we find a flight, etc. 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.
“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.
“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.”
Time is (not) money
Vettel also stated that although he disapproves of the announcement, he trusts that F1 has some justification regarding it.
“It’s just making sure that people have a balance between their life at home and the time spent away,” he commented.
“It should be a number of races that is sustainable for keeping your passion for many years, and not being sucked out after two or three years.
“But I’m not in charge, and obviously there’s some other interests.”
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