F1 News: McLaren CEO Makes Bold Suggestion For 28 Race Championship Despite 2024 Concerns

McLaren CEO Zak Brown suggests a way of bringing 28 races into the Formula One championship.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has suggested a way of incorporating 28 Grand Prix races into the Formula One championship, despite concerns over the record-breaking 2024 24-race calendar.  

Key Takeaways:

• Calendar Expansion: Brown believes the F1 calendar would be able to grow to 28 races, incorporating new venues while retaining the well-being of paddock personnel. This includes the return of previously cancelled races and the introduction of six Sprint races in 2024.
• Rotation and Regional Grouping: Teams suggest rotating Grand Prix locations and grouping races regionally to manage the calendar effectively and minimise travel impact.

The Formula 1 calendar has seen significant changes in recent years, driven by the sport's increasing popularity. New races like the Miami, Las Vegas, and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix have been added, with 24 races scheduled for 2024. 

McLaren CEO Zak Brown's proposition of a 28-race calendar, with some races rotating every other year, aims to balance expansion with sustainability. Brown stated:

"24 races is the max for people's wellbeing, but we need to continue to expand the sport.

"So I'd like to see a scenario where you maybe have 20 fixed Grands Prix and, say, eight that rotate every other year. So you have a 24-race calendar, but you expand the sport by going into other regions and other countries.

"That being said, I don't know the economics inside out of how it works as a track promoter. So whether an alternating calendar is economically viable for the promoter, but I think that would be the ideal scenario.

"It is easy for me to scratch that out, but more difficult for Formula 1 to put that scenario together. But I think that would be most ideal."

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner also weighed in, advocating for regional grouping to reduce travel stress. 

"If you stay in certain regions for a while, there is less travel involved back and forth," Steiner explained.

With the calendar's potential expansion, concerns about team personnel's workload have been raised. Mercedes' Toto Wolff mentioned the need to adapt, possibly by running shifts for team members, as certain roles cannot be rotated.