George Russell hopes that F1 will address the issues with the calendar

A busier and busier schedule

The pilots’ association has raised questions about this year’s calendar, which includes more races that are held consecutively from one weekend to another, and even for three consecutive weekends, due to the increase in the number of events, which is expected to reach 24 next year. The president of the Pilots’ Association, George Russell, has expressed discontent about Australia losing its traditional spot in the calendar as the season opener.

The 2023 F1 season started with three trips to the Arabian Peninsula in four weeks for the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. It then headed to Melbourne for a standalone weekend on the other side of the world.

For example, the fact that the Australian Grand Prix is isolated on the calendar is one of the problems. However, it could be resolved, given that Formula 1 personnel returning to Europe from Melbourne generally pass through Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Doha. The last time Albert Park was paired with another race was in 2013, with the Malaysian Grand Prix, another easily accessible destination from Australia. Since then, there has always been a two-week gap until the next race, which furthermore adds extra mileage and makes the jet lag harder to bear.

Only one session on Friday afternoon

“For the sake of the 2,000 or 3,000 people traveling around the world, the first session should take place on Friday afternoon, in the evening, so that teams are less constrained to arrive, let’s say, on Wednesday,” responded Georges Russell when asked about the ideal format for a race weekend.

If the first session takes place on Friday morning, the teams must be present on Thursday, which forces them to take the plane on Wednesday for a large number of races. If we can postpone this date to allow the teams to take the plane on Thursday morning, if you add this up to 24 races in the year, you get almost an extra month at home or sleeping in your own bed, which is huge for everyone.

In the past, the British driver insisted on the need to overhaul the calendar to make it more viable for all the paddock staff. And although the results are not yet visible, Russell is optimistic and believes that the drivers are being listened to and that the calendar will be implemented in a more logical manner in the coming years: “I think, collectively, we have a very strong input and Stefano Domenicali is incredibly open to listening to our views and having conversations,” said the GPDA chairman. “There has obviously been a lot of talk about the viability of the calendar, going from the Middle East to America, and then to Europe, and I think that will be improved in the years to come. I think for a lot of fans, it doesn’t make much sense,” concluded George Russell.