The F1 calendar has always been a popular topic of discussion, but the covid-impacted 2020 season has triggered a few years of instability and fluctuation in the yearly schedule.
Formula 1 has also made a concerted effort to introduce a series of new venues, with a particular emphasis being placed on adding more American races to exploit the growing appetite for motorsport in the continent.
Plenty of debate has been sparked as a result, with historic venues such as Belgium’s Spa Francorchamps no longer guaranteed a place in F1.
Stefano Domenicali’s approach to the schedule is quite clear, forcing organizers of various events to find the necessary financial support and investment to safeguard their future.
However, aside from the conversations surrounding which circuits should be prioritized, concerns have also been raised about the practicality of the calendar.
Simply put, circuits which are extremely far apart – such as Miami and Baku – are currently placed consecutively on the F1 calendar. Quite clearly, there have been calls for a more efficient order.
Regionalizing the schedule, so that Grand Prix with close proximity are hosted at the same time of the year, is an attainable goal – not to mention a necessary one as the sport looks to champion sustainability.
According to Dutch journalist Erik van Haren, work is already underway to address this issue. Next year’s races calendar will reportedly be regionalised.
This should mean the end of seemingly illogical stretches of the calendar (such as the Canadian GP being held between the Spanish and Austrian GP) moving forward.
Although the 2024 schedule will not be announced until the future of the Belgian GP is decided, F1 already has a very clear picture of which races will feature next season and how they can be best organised.
