20 races is the limit - Theissen

The current 2008 race calendar consists of eighteen Grands Prix. For BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen, the question of extending the Grand Prix season significantly does not come into consideration.

Only once before has Formula One contested more races that this season. In 2005, one year before the BMW Sauber F1 Team celebrated its debut in motorsport's elite class, the race calendar consisted of 19 Grands Prix.

Plans to significantly extend the calendar do not appeal to Theissen. "In my opinion 20 races is the limit - provided the testing is reduced considerably. However, 20 is the absolute limit," says the BMW Motorsport Director. "That depends, of course, on how the calendar is structured."

Expanding the race calendar would mean a clear increase in the workload for teams and drivers. This season already sees the BMW Sauber F1 Team competing in three back-to-back races, featuring two Grands Prix within just eight days.

Theissen sees the idea of moving the test sessions to the Friday of the Grand Prix as one possible means of reducing the workload for teams. "I think it would make sense, because we have all the material with us anyway," Theissen commented in Valencia. "We would be testing at a circuit, at which we would be competing for points over the weekend. That would make the results more interesting. Furthermore, we would be offering the fans a bit more. This would, however, have consequences for the support programme."