FIA Confirms 2011 F1 Schedule

[Timomies]

if it was up to me i would have it nascar style with no off weeks in between races

Same here

[forty-two]

22-26 GP's but at least some winter testing and winter break. F1 year round would get old, just as anything else really. A break gets us anxious and gives good separation between each season.

20 sounds good and is much better than 17, as the seasons went by too quickly in recent years.

...IMO.

+1

I think the break is essential for both the nerves of the fans and for the teams to have time to take stock.

Personally, don't enjoy the newer circuits so much as the crowds are so often not really there (eg. Turkey).

Twenty is plenty.

[WhiteBlue]

Do not agree... F1 isn't just entertainment and sports... it's the pinnacle of engineering!!!

And what has this to do with the topic?

i think its referring to how reducing testing and increasing the amount of races will remove some of the engineering development of the sport, making it become more just a form of entertainment by taking away part of the technical side.

That expectation is unrealistic. Teams will just use more simulation instead of testing. Development will not be put off due to lack of testing. They will simply test on Fridays.

[WhiteBlue]

22-26 GP's but at least some winter testing and winter break. F1 year round would get old, just as anything else really. A break gets us anxious and gives good separation between each season.

20 sounds good and is much better than 17, as the seasons went by too quickly in recent years.

...IMO.

+1

I think the break is essential for both the nerves of the fans and for the teams to have time to take stock.

Personally, don't enjoy the newer circuits so much as the crowds are so often not really there (eg. Turkey).

Twenty is plenty.

A four months break is too much for me. I also hate that they drive around for all February and I can't get any decent TV coverage of testing. It's a complete waste. The more testing you give the teams the more money and resources they waste on it. If there are only shake down tests it's still the same for all and some come better or worse prepared. But you will be able to watch it. At some times in winter testing there were more fans at the Spanish tests than at some of the races 2009.

They could replace all the testing with a Marocco and an additional Arabian race. In terms of logistic it makes no big difference to southern Spain and the additional travel cost is easily offset by the race fees.

F1 could still have 16 weeks of breaks over the year (six in winter, 4 in summer and two of 3 weeks in spring and fall).

The world championship would be more realistic with races in Africa and hopefully a summer and winter race in the US.

The way things are now the drivers are totally under utilized in winter. They only get bored. Due to the lack of in season testing the higher amount of back to back races for fly aways would still be very managable. Drivers and the track team would have 16 weeks off to recharge the batteries but spread over the year to cope with the stress in a better way.

[-KMR_NH-]

I'm already satisfied with having 18 races 20 would be cool, too. But thinking of the people who have to work, I'd say that 20 should be the maximum.
We now have 7 months of Formula 1 with a 4-week summer break. I like it that way.

[WhiteBlue]

Bernie Ecclestone said that a USGP would be possible at Indianapolis next year if the races were increased to 21.

Indianapolis is still a logical venue for a US Formula One Grand Prix and an eventual return is on the cards, commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said.

"It is. It's only the fact that it's all the wrong crowd and the wrong people ... nothing worked there really, we'd have to have a big change round," the Briton told Reuters at Sunday's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. "But we'd like to get back there."

Asked whether the United States could be back on the calendar as early as next year, the 79-year-old replied: "We can have a look. Twenty one races, no problem."

That would really be good. I am still for as much as 24-26 races.

[WhiteBlue]

We are not dropping anything. [It's] 20 races - getting ready for 25.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsp ... 624387.stm?

It seems we are indeed moving towards a 25 race calendar. It is the right thing to do if F1 wants to listen to the fans. Who wants tests in winter if we can have races?

[raceman]

Who wants tests in winter if we can have races?

=D>

+1

[Pandamasque]

Who wants tests in winter if we can have races?

=D>

+1

+1

[toto1041]

If you keep adding more races each one's value becomes lessened. F1 should get rid of the fat and eliminate the "boring-middle-of-the-desert-with-no-attendance-or-atmosphere" races. Get it back down to 14 awesome and special events with mega atmosphere and higher stakes. Also would be cool to add 1 "Time Trial" event in Central Park NYC. Kind of like a mountain climb event with 3-5 runs for each car/driver, where the best time is the one that counts, with points awarded just like a GP.

[WhiteBlue]

If you keep adding more races each one's value becomes lessened. F1 should get rid of the fat and eliminate the "boring-middle-of-the-desert-with-no-attendance-or-atmosphere" races.

Not exactly a testimony to your competence in economic questions. The Abu Dhabi, Bahrain type races will keep the teams afloat (besides filling Bernie's coffers). Without these races we will not have a US race or some of the non paying European races. They also run in the off season when you cannot race in Europe due to climatic reasons. We need more races in south and north Africa methink.

[donskar]

If you keep adding more races each one's value becomes lessened. F1 should get rid of the fat and eliminate the "boring-middle-of-the-desert-with-no-attendance-or-atmosphere" races.

Not exactly a testimony to your competence in economic questions. The Abu Dhabi, Bahrain type races will keep the teams afloat (besides filling Bernie's coffers). Without these races we will not have a US race or some of the non paying European races. They also run in the off season when you cannot race in Europe due to climatic reasons. We need more races in south and north Africa methink.

WB: attack the post, not the poster. One thing I learned in 40+ years in a variety of businesses: as the supply of an item increases, its value as expressed as the price you can get for it, often (not always) decreases.

I tend to lean toward MX_TIFOSI's position (especially as bolded):

22-26 GP's but at least some winter testing and winter break. F1 year round would get old, just as anything else really. A break gets us anxious and gives good separation between each season.

20 sounds good and is much better than 17, as the seasons went by too quickly in recent years.

...IMO.

WB, you state very clearly why I (and probably many others) distrust the idea of more races: it's just (IMHO) Bernie using an extortionate technique with one goal only: more money for Bernie:

Without these races we will not have a US race or some of the non paying European races.

Simple translation: Bernie is saying "give me more races or there will not be a US GP." And there are NO "non paying" races.

[WhiteBlue]

There are Monaco which is not paying and Monza which is very close to non paying.

[Hannah.]

I say as many as possible, although I do see that a winter break is necerssary (the Summer one isn't though!!!), in my ideal world the season would start mid to late February and end late November. Some proper new overtaking circuits with cars that possess the ability to overtake and be followed would be nice too though to be honest...

[andrew]

Slow the cars down, sort the aero and bring back old circuits like Dijon Prenois. Anyone not familer with this track should watch this. Villeneuve and Arnoux were at it for several laps and for second place!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nxwn3OHkEw[/youtube]