Why are the teams angered by F1’s new 24-race long calendar for 2023?
According to a report in The Guardian, the FIA released the new calendar without approval from the F1 teams.
The record-breaking 24-race calendar was announced on Tuesday, marking the return of China, and confirmation of the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The season will start in Bahrain on March 5 - an earlier start than usual - before finishing at the Yas Marina Circuit in November.
A triple-header has been scheduled at the backend of the season, starting with the United States, Mexico and then Brazil.
The F1 teams are usually required to give their approval given the strains that a triple-header are likely to incur but they were given no opportunity to do so.
The FIA’s sudden release of the F1 2023 schedule also meant the sport couldn’t formally announce Monaco’s three-year contract extension or the official date for the new race in Las Vegas.
As a result, F1 was forced to announce both Monaco and Las Vegas shortly after the surprise calendar announcement.
This only exacerbates the fractious relationship between the FIA and F1.
After the Italian Grand Prix, FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem met with F1 team bosses and race officials to discuss a range of “sporting matters”.
This came after a series of controversial events during the Monza weekend.
The F3 title-decider ended in debatable circumstances, with Victor Martins winning the championship under red flag conditions.
In F1, the FIA’s slow issuing of the revised grid after qualifying, and use of the Safety Car when retrieving Daniel Ricciardo’s stricken McLaren, was met with widespread criticism.
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
