Carlos Sainz suggests 25 races is the limit for F1 calendar

A 25-race ceiling

Carlos Sainz says the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association has heard that 24 or 25 races is the limit the championship is willing to go for. He is not certain if more offers to increase venues will change that, but he thinks 25 is the limit. F1 has no problems filling gaps on the calendar because there is a huge demand to host races. The expansion of the calendar has been significant. At the start of the century, there were around 16 or 17 races. By 2016, the number reached 21. F1 has held 24 races per year since the 2024 season, but the 2027 season will host 27 races. This year, F1 holds 23 races because the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was cancelled in April following safety concerns in the Middle East. In the 2030s, the sport intends to go back to Africa for the first time since 1993 with a race in Rwanda.

Fan engagement and the Premier League comparison

Sainz suggests that expanding the calendar could be counterproductive to engagement. He says that while a fan might love seeing more F1 on TV, having so many races in a row could cause people to pay less attention. He noted that the sport might feel like the "Premier League" rather than the "Champions League". When he was a child, the calendar had only 16 or 18 races, and he missed Formula 1 for many weekends. He says, "I think if I were a fan, I would love it because the more F1 I can watch on TV, the better." However, he also says it is a philosophy for the sport to consider whether it wants to keep having so many races in a row. He believes that when you get so many races in a row, people or the sport can feel like a league, like the "Premier League", rather than the "Champions League".

The toll on team staff

The long schedule also impacts the people working within the teams. Sainz says team members may spend only three or four days or five days at home every month. He thinks the people in the teams get the tougher end of the schedule rather than the drivers, who occupy a more privileged position. Although he has the motivation and the will to race, Sainz noted that the end of a triple header with three triple headers in a row is going to be tough for the body, the people, and the mind. If the final rounds go ahead as planned, F1 will hold nine events in just eleven weeks. The 2027 schedule includes 24 rounds, and many weekends include sprint race action in Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Canada, Monaco, Great Britain, Italy, Brazil, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.