A Formula 1 team boss has called for a drastic shake-up to the calendar that would see a big change to race weekends.
Williams team principal James Vowles has come up with a new proposal that he believes fans would get behind.
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris have spoken about the workload on drivers
Williams chief James Vowles has proposed a big shake-up
There has been debate over the workload on drivers with there now 24 races and six sprint events in a season.
and previously opposed the increase in races, suggesting it placed drivers under too much strain.
Vowles disagrees there are too many races, and he instead wants to reduce the workload by reducing race weekends from three days to two.
That would see the practice session reduce significantly, while still allowing the fans as much race action as possible.
He told the Business of Sport : “I don’t think we have too many races but I would not go above where we are at the moment because we’re asking people at home to be there for half a year.
“Half your weekends are spent watching Formula One. I think that’s about the extreme end of where you can go to.
“I would change to two-day weekends. I would do Saturday and Sunday and here’s the reason why.
“I know I just said 24 is the maximum, but I actually wouldn’t be concerned about the fact because we’ve given back Friday, which is one day.
“If you added another two race weekends in, you’d still be net in the same amount of time that you were previously. I think we can commercialise it in a different way.
“But more than that, I think the product will be better because we do a lot of practice at the moment. If you force us, you get one hour before qualifying and that’s it. That’s quite a different proposition.
“So I think you’ll get more variability and more randomness that comes out of it.”
The number of grands prix increased from 22 to 24 for the start of the 2024 campaign.
There have been a number of expansions in recent years, with the first ever 20-race season only introduced in 2012.
Vowles’ proposal could be supported by drivers, with Verstappen previously raising concern over the workload for mechanics – which a reduced practice session would ease.
He said: “The sprint format was better I think, a bit more straightforward, I would say.
“Let’s not overdo it as well because we are already doing 24 races a year, six of these sprint events as well.
“I get it. I guess it sells better and better numbers on TV, but it’s also more stress on the mechanics and everything, to get everything tiptop every time.
“You have to deal with it, but let’s not think that now we need 12 of those because it will take its toll on people as well.”
Norris agreed, saying: “I’d always prefer the old, original race format.
“This is what I’ve grown up watching, it’s what I’ve always liked the most. I do like just going in and having the pressure straightaway. So the fact of having one practice straight into qualifying, I do like it.
“I think it gives people less chance to just get the car perfect and I think that’s when you just start to see team, team, team, team rather than a mix. So I do think it works from that perspective.
“But the main point is just the toll it has on mechanics and engineers.
“I don’t think it’s too bad for us as drivers, honestly. I don’t think we can be the ones to complain at all.
“It’s the hundreds of mechanics and engineers that we have here that have to travel so much. It’s not healthy for them. It is not sustainable.”
