Stefano Domenicali believes that the best race schedule for the game is 24 races, as he confirms plans for the rotation of European occasions.
Actually, this 12 months ought to have seen 24 rounds of the System One World Championship, nonetheless first China fell by the wayside (once more), whereas Imola was subsequently cancelled because of the horrendous flooding within the area.
Nonetheless, shifting ahead, F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali admits that 24 rounds – the utmost underneath the present Concorde Settlement – needs to be the norm for future seasons.
“What we wish to do subsequent 12 months is 24,” he tells the Past the Grid podcast, “and I believe 24 is the appropriate quantity. It is the quantity that’s required throughout the market.
“I might say it is the appropriate steadiness between that, the complexity of the logistics and of the individuals which might be working,” he provides. “I might say that is the quantity which we must always goal to be steady for a very long time.”
Nonetheless, as the game seeks out ever extra numerous venues, Europe, historically the house of the game, is underneath growing strain, not solely by way of slots on the calendar however race internet hosting charges.
Consequently, the game is taking a look at rotating occasions.
“It’s true that Madrid needs to host a race sooner or later,” he admits, “however no resolution has been taken to date. That is one other nice signal of the state of the well being of System 1.
“Industrial and technical dialogue might be going down within the subsequent couple of months. For the perfect of System 1, we are going to take the appropriate resolution, however we have to keep in mind that we nonetheless have a contract with Barcelona.
“We’re actually very, very comfortable in the best way that Barcelona is dealing with the long run due to course, it will assist them to react, to push for the advance that’s wanted in any respect ranges.
“In Europe, I’m anticipating to see races the place the rotational precept might be utilized. There are already talks with a few of them and that is one thing that within the subsequent two years we’re going to make clear formally.
“Historic races will all the time be a part of the calendar,” he insists, “however there may be the necessity for a few of them to recognise the modifications that they need to make on the infrastructure. Followers are coming increasingly with totally different wants. If you don’t give them what they deserve, it is not historic anymore, is it?
“Two years in the past, when there was dialogue that Belgium is out of the calendar. The reply was Belgium is on the calendar, however they reacted very effectively. They invested in infrastructure that’s associated to the perfect expertise that we wish to give to the followers.”
Seemingly, one of many few venues not underneath menace is Imola, Domenicali’s residence city and the place he did work expertise as a teen.
Lengthy-time followers of the game will know that there isn’t any room for sentimentality in F1, nonetheless, it appears considerably ironic that as Europe faces a cull by way of the variety of occasions it hosts, it was the European occasions – present, these introduced out of mothballs and new additions – that saved the game’s bacon throughout the pandemic. Certainly, the very pandemic throughout which many information followers had been interested in the game courtesy of Drive to Survive, which barely moved the needle within the US when it launched in 2019.
Certainly, Drive to Survive has by no means been within the prime ten within the US and the grand complete of 400,000 individuals watched the most recent sequence within the US within the first week. In distinction, the most recent sequence of The Crown was watched by 1.1 million individuals in its first day within the UK alone.
As our esteemed Max Noble factors out in response to ESPN’s figures following the published of the Canadian Grand Prix, 1.76 million viewers in a nation of 332.4 million (2022 determine) implies that 0.529% of the inhabitants tuned in.
“That is a giant success,” writes Max. “We may goal a 100% improve for subsequent 12 months and leap all the best way to 1.05%. Can not await them figures to land and the press releases to roll… In accordance with the figures I can discover… the 2021 season finale within the UK managed 7.4 million viewers… with the 2021 census giving a UK inhabitants of 59.59 million… that offers us 12.4% of the inhabitants viewing… which relying on the way you bend the maths, offers a determine over 400% greater.”