Lando Norris has offered an insight into how long drivers feel the Formula 1 calendar should be. The sport's current calendar has room for a record-breaking 23 race weekends and, while the decision was made to remove the Russian Grand Prix, there are 25 venues that hold contracts with F1. Las Vegas, Qatar and China will all return to the calendar for next season, with Monaco, Belgium, France and Mexico at risk of losing their spots. The prospect of bidding farewell to destinations such as Monaco and Belgium has been met with displeasure from the likes of Pierre Gasly , who is keen for both races to stay. But Norris would rather see the current calendar shortened, after complaining that drivers and team members are prevented from having enough time to switch off and rest between events.
Norris: One week of rest is not enough
When asked how long an ideal calendar would be, Norris told the Quadrant YouTube channel: "20, or 18 to 20 [races]. Sometimes it was nice to have two weekends off in a row. "Now we only ever have a maximum of one weekend off, and during that one weekend off you get a bit of time to chill from the previous race, but by that time you're already preparing for the next race. "When you have two weekends off, you can chill and then you can chill even more, until you're fully chilled. Then you can take your mind off racing for a bit." He added: "One week [off] is not enough."
Norris' boss also wants a shorter F1 calendar
Norris is not alone in wanting to see F1's calendar shortened, with McLaren chief Zak Brown having made his thoughts clear on the 23-race schedule. The 50-year-old is open for the sport to continue expanding into fresh markets, such as Las Vegas, but only wants to see "21 or 22" races per season , with some tracks rotating. He explained: "I think there are 'A markets' and 'B markets' that we race in. Maybe your 'B markets' [should be] every other year."
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