Hakkinen: “In my time there were a maximum of 17 races in the season” | FormulaPassion

A demanding calendar

The conclusion of the last championship was a relief for many mechanics and team members. Not so much for the results or for some disappointments experienced during the world championship, but for the number considered by many to be excessive scheduled races: 23. In reality, although the calendar included this figure, 22 GPs actually took place, thanks to the cancellation of the Emilia-Romagna GP in Imola due to the flood that had hit the region.

Two weekends on two continents

The fact remains that, if the weekend had taken place regularly, 2023 would have represented the absolute record for races on the calendar. An aspect much criticized by pilots, even more so by some consecutive or very close appointments scheduled on two different continents. All this has generated a profound tiredness in the men of the ten teams involved in the world championship, also noticed by a former driver like Mika Hakkinen.

The main problem for the 'Flying Finn'

World champion in 1998 and 1999, the former McLaren driver commented with some disappointment on the number of events, which were decidedly tiring for all participants: “The 2023 season had the longest record – he explained in his column for Unibet – compared to my years in F1 I think we had 17 races scheduled at most. I was present at some of the 22 races, and you could see in people's faces how tough the season had been especially at the end. 22 races itself is not that high a number, but the problem is constantly having races one after the other, and the transfers are really very difficult. You have to find the aptitude for racing and concentrate, which is the biggest challenge for many. It doesn't just apply to the drivers, but also to the mechanics and the organizers.”

How to face record-breaking seasons

However, next year, the races on the calendar will be even higher: “Later there will be even more races, as many as 24 – he added – and it will be a very, very tough activity. Maybe the world and the fans want even more racing. The goal of F1 is to fill the calendars, but if I were still in F1 and saw the number of races I would have seriously negotiated with the team about the salary. Not just for that, but also for how you can ensure that the resistance of the people is at the level required to ensure that everyone can work without errors. We're talking about a very high-speed sport, and you don't want mistakes of any kind.”