For the FIA, adding a 25th Grand Prix is not conceivable
Many world circuits would like to join the calendar to host a 25th Formula 1 Grand Prix. Like the F1, the FIA does not consider this possibility due to a lack of logistical means.
This 2024 season has established a new record with the scheduling of 24 Formula 1 race weekends (compared to 22 in 2023). An important figure for the different teams and drivers who must, moreover, focus on the various tests planned throughout the year as well as the development of the cars. For the F1 boss, Stefano Domenicali, 24 is the right number. "I would say that this is the number we should aim for in order to be stable for a long time," he said last year in Beyond the Grid.
Regularly, the F1 institution has to rack its brains to establish the calendar for which it is responsible. Many countries that have been deserted by the paddock would like to return to the forefront, like Argentina, which hopes to take advantage of the future rise of Franco Colapinto to convince the organizers. While the United States are visited three times by the competition (Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas), some would like to explore new destinations. Lewis Hamilton has been campaigning for a Grand Prix in Africa for several years.
An addition is unthinkable for the FIA
While the Concorde Agreements set the limit at 25 races, this number seems too high for the FIA. According to its president, Mohamed Ben Sulayem, the institution is not able to manage more races. « You reach a point where you need two teams, we can't have [more], he points out in an interview with Autosport.
An opinion that had been shared by George Russell and Charles Leclerc, especially concerning their engineers. If the drivers are put in the best conditions to be in shape on competition days, it is more demanding for their entourage. "They arrive at the track much earlier, they leave much later. And so it's much more difficult," insisted the Monegasque.
F1 remains decisive.
The final decision on the schedule therefore rests with Formula 1. The president of the FIA emphasizes this fact: « It is they who do not want to add [more races at the moment]. Because they know it then becomes a question of fatigue. So they have their own reasons [to keep the number of races at 24]. »
The calendar should not therefore accommodate more Grand Prix in the coming years. The only solution to integrate a new layout would be to give up one of the 24 currently scheduled events. Several circuits' contracts with F1 ending in 2025, a reshuffle could take place for 2026.
Read also: What could the F1 calendar look like if we project it in 2026?
