The calendar for the 2023 F1 season has arrived, which means it's time to start planning those all important F1 trips for the next year. The calendar, which you can check out above, looks a little more packed than usual. This is because the FIA has planned a record breaking twenty-four races for 2023. Twenty-four! I'm pretty sure just a few seasons ago they were struggling to get past twenty, but here we are.
From what I have seen and read on social media, the calendar has been met with some very mixed reviews. Some like it, they think it's ok, but most people have an issue one way or another. Unfortunately for me, I can't say I'm overly stoked. Keep on reading to find out why.
All views below are my own and are not intended to upset anyone.
I usually get quite excited at the release of the following season's calendar. I sit for hours planning what races I want to go to and whether I can afford them. (Looking at you Silverstone.) But it's tiring just looking at the twenty-four races that have been crammed in to such a small time phrase. And that's my main concern. For me, as a fan, twenty-four races should be an exciting prospect. It is, but, you can't help but feel for the people who work and travel with the F1 circus. Whether you're a driver, mechanic/engineer, team personnel, F1 personnel, etc, it must be a big kick in the guts to see that calendar. Everyone has a personal life and as far as I'm concerned, it's all about how much money F1 can make.
I suppose this fits in with how the calendar is laid out. There seems to be absolutely zero logic put in to this. For example, Azerbaijan is on the 30th April. Just a week later it's across the pond to the States for the Miami GP. Why? Why not pair Azerbaijan with something closer to home? Or, here's an idea. Start the season one side of the world and make your way across ending the season on the other. It's all logistics at the end of the day. If F1 and the FIA are serious about becoming Net Zero Carbon by 2030 then this is something major that needs looking at.
Moving on, I'm not overly thrilled with the amount of street circuits. If you know me or follow my F1 social medias then you may know I despise the things. Personally, I'm more of an "old-school race track" kinda gal so you can imagine my fury with the rumours that F1 was to bin off the likes of Spa. What also grinds my gears, (pun intended), is that there are plenty of decent tracks out there not being used. You've got the likes of Istanbul, Sepang, Hockenheim and Nurburgring just sitting there but instead we get Saudi Arabia, Miami and Las Vegas. I mean, F1 has never raced at Las Vegas and I'm already dreading it. However, I'm happy to see that Monaco survived the cull. Yes it's a street circuit but Monaco is F1. I'll also add that I can cope with Singapore and Azerbaijan, in case you're wondering.
It's not all negative, however! There are still plenty of decent tracks on the calendar that should provide some excellent racing and also Spa, my favourite track, survives another year! Plus, if you think of it with a positive mind set, we get twenty-four races!
I'm probably going to contradict myself now by saying maybe I shouldn't be too judgmental just yet. Maybe we need to let the season play out before all the negativity. Twenty-four races between March and November, plus a couple weeks off in August, may work. Travelling back and forth across the world numerous times may work. I can't say I'm confident but as a fan sat on my sofa I have nothing to complain about.
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