Steiner reveals concerns over bustling F1 calendar

Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner believes going beyond 24 races in a Formula 1 season would make it "difficult to attract people" to work in the sport.

Next season's calendar will break the record for the longest in F1's history as China returns to the schedule for the first time since 2019.

Both the Shanghai event and the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix were scheduled to take place this year, but the former fell foul of China's Covid restrictions [which have now been lifted] and Imola succumbed to local flooding.

Whilst leading members of teams up and down the paddock have insisted 24 is the limit of what is acceptable for workforces, interest from new prospective race locations continues to build.

Speaking to media, including RacingNews365, Steiner said: "I think 24 races is the business model now, [but] I think it's the limit.

"If you have more races, it needs to be a big step financially in that you can actually have two teams running it.

"Otherwise, I think it's very difficult to attract people to work in F1 because it is putting an effort in... I come [to the track] on Wednesdays and some of the crew are away sometimes months in a row."

Variety of races needed

F1 will race on a Saturday three times next season: The first two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia move owing to the start of the holy month of Ramadan, while Las Vegas keeps its night slot as it holds this year.

Steiner believes this variety of race weekends is needed to ensure fans stay engaged, adding: "I think there is also a saturation factor. If you would have 24 races all the same, I think you would already have too many.

"But because they're so different now in itself, people always look forward to something. You've got six sprint weekends, then you've got the night race, and then now you've got next year two Saturday races.

"Can you imagine 24 races like in the old days when they were all cookie-cutter? You start at three o'clock, you finish at five. After 20 you would say 'I got an offer' but now there is always something different that makes it interesting."