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F1 is aiming to group races by region for the 2023 season. Motorsport.com reported that Stefano Domenicali made a proposal to the team principals during his Saturday "Coffee morning" meeting with them.
The article mentioned:
“In 2019, Liberty announced a plan to make the sport carbon neutral by 2030, and rationalizing the calendar is seen as a key part of that ongoing commitment, alongside other initiatives such as this year’s move to a higher biofuel content.”
It went on to state:
“At the same time, a more efficient schedule will tackle the dramatic rise in freight costs that has impacted both the F1 organization itself and the individual teams. The sport has been hit not just by rising prices but increasingly scarce availability of freight capacity.”
The article stated that F1 had talked about consolidating the calendar by region in the past as well and now, it has finally decided to actively go ahead with its plans. However, the promotors will first have to agree to the suggested changes in the calendar. The article stated:
“F1 has talked in the past about consolidating the calendar by region, but it has now decided to actively press ahead with the move, although it will have to agree on any changes with the race promoters.”
Rationalizing the calendar will be another step in the right direction for the sport as it works towards achieving its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
Which F1 races are anomalies and which ones could get shuffled?
On the current calendar, there are many races that stand out as outliers when it comes to regional proximity. For instance, the Miami GP required the entire paddock, including the media, to fly to North America for a single race before coming back to Europe for the Spanish and Monaco GPs.
Baku, too, sticks out like a sore thumb because of how far it is. Similarly, the race in Montreal and its calendar placement means that the paddock goes to North America for a standalone race before coming back for the European leg of the calendar.
According to the report, the proposed changes could bunch up races like Miami and Canada together. Furthermore, it could also group races like Baku, Suzuka, and Shanghai together. Lastly, races in the Middle East might get grouped together at the start and end of the season as well.
The article claimed:
“Although Domenicali did not go into extensive detail in the meeting of what might change, it’s understood that Baku could be grouped in a run of races with Shanghai and Suzuka. Another option that could be considered is to pair Miami with Montreal, which will mean that one or the other will have to move from its 2022 date by around a month. Monaco’s traditional end-of-May date reduces F1’s flexibility at that time of the year.”
This change in the calendar would also make things much more convenient for the teams as well. Let's see how long it takes for everyone to get on board with this plan.
