A record-breaking Formula 1 season of 24 Grand Prix is planned for 2024, with rounds scheduled at the end of the year. World champion Jacques Villeneuve sympathizes with team employees and journalists who have to work hard.
Jacques Villeneuve: “The season will be tough. It was already difficult at the end of last season because of double stages, one of which took place in Vegas. Large teams could rent a plane and transport all the mechanics, but this was especially difficult for journalists. They are always at the center of events, but not in plain sight. Their expenses are constantly increasing – tickets, hotels – everything is becoming more expensive and organizing trips is becoming more and more difficult.
It’s easier for teams to travel to stages, and the idea of staff rotation may work, but it’s still difficult for regular employees. Including due to time zone changes, when time is lost flying from the US to the Middle East. All this is very tiring.
The end of the new season will consist of structured stages and although Qatar is not far from Abu Dhabi, it will still be difficult for everyone as everyone is already very tired at the end of the season, which ends in December. It will be difficult for the mechanics, but not for the drivers.”
Jacques Villeneuve added that in his years racing in Formula 1, the workload for drivers with fewer races was higher than now: “In those years there were fewer races, but many more tests.
Racers spent more time on the track than they do today, logging thousands of miles in testing. But then it was easier for the mechanics, as the teams actually had two teams: testing and racing. Technicians had the opportunity to spend time at home, but now the workload is much higher.
Working in Formula 1 affects your personal life. People have to give up the idea of having children. It’s a choice: to work in Formula 1 you need passion. People know what they are signing up for, so there is no point in complaining.
New hires know what the schedule awaits them, but for those who came to Formula 1 when there were 17 races on the calendar, the situation is somewhat different. But the sport is bigger now than ever before, so we can’t complain. Nobody wants Formula 1 to get smaller.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
