P1 with Matt and Tommy - This year’s F1 calendar makes NO sense!

Episode Date: September 26, 2024

Despite just coming back from the summer break, we’ve got another four-week break before the next race in Austin. So what’s happened? Are we missing a secret track? And how could this affect the Championship? Tickets for our end of season UK tour are now on sale! Click here to grab yours before they're gone.Sign up to our Patreon here! You'll get access to bonus episodes, our classic race series, every P1 episode ad-free and access to our Discord server where you can chat with other F1 fans!Follow us on socials! You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everybody and welcome back to an angry podcast, not emergency, not anything else. We just need to talk about what on earth this Formula One calendar is. We are so dialed in with momentum. And F1's like, no, you thought there was just a summer break. We now have a winter, an autumnal break as well. What's going on, Tom Bellingham? How are you feeling? You feeling angry, pent up, hyped up?

What's your feelings right now, officer? it's annoying isn't it I think my my first reaction is that it's annoying isn't it yeah it's bloody I'd just say George Russell it's rather damn annoying

that we get into this this break we've had the summer break and now there's loads of more other breaks it's great for us but that we get to do our US tour without missing loads of races hello plug US tour tickets available on screen

I don't know if it'll be on screen, no, it won't be on screen, especially if you're listening, you're literally not looking at a screen. Or on YouTube actually. There might be a graphic, but there'll be a link in the description. Come to our US live shows. We've got five of them, and we've also got it starting in Canada. Lots of love. Carry on, Tommy. But, yeah, as a fan, doesn't make any sense at all.

And when we first saw the 2024 calendar, I don't know about you, but when the new calendar gets announced, I always kind of look at it. And the dates don't really mean a lot. you're just kind of looking at, oh, is there a new race or something like that? It's only now we're living in this season and the 2024 calendar that I'm looking back going, this is the most disorganized, unstructured calendar I think we've ever had in this, even more than the COVID calendar, which is quite something. Yeah, and I think we just have to talk about it really and dive into, I guess, the big thing, which is why is there a month break again?

Of course, we've had the summer break. which happened after Belgium and then going into Netherlands. We now have one going from Singapore to the USA. And for me, it just strikes, perhaps it is, I mean, look, I highly doubt when Formula One are in their meetings, they go, you know what will be good for the sport, another four week break. So there must be something that's gone wrong here, whether it's at the last minute or at some point, right?

because for me it screams there was supposed to be a race there and there's not. If we look forward to the next year's calendar, from Singapore to Austin, there's two weeks. Yeah. So what on earth is going on? What was the secret track? I need to know. There must have been something.

Yeah, you do wonder that I think that one thing that's happened recently with Formula One is there's so many talks of like, we need another US track and another US track. Was there not talk of Chicago maybe at one point, I think it was, or another track that was heavily rumoured that I've not heard anything from since. And I guess something in America maybe would make sense to have USA, Mexico and then back to America, kind of all together, maybe. You've got to think that's something to do with it, because to have that break and then

to go into another break, just as the momentum of the season is picking up and it's really exciting, because the start of the season felt so squashed in. You know, you're having so many races. We got to the mid break, and it's not even what we normally have where it's kind of like half the races. Then at the other half of the races, there was a lot more races at the start of the season. And then the second half of the season is very bizarrely spaced out, has to be said. Yeah, it's going to feel like when we get back, to Austin that is almost like a mini championship in its own. And it's,

because it's going to have been gone for so long, it's, yeah, it's utterly bizarre. But yeah, they don't have any of those spaces next year. I really can't see anything in two weeks. Go on.

Oh, please. Something I've just noticed. Go on. So, so we do USA, Mexico and Brazil, and we're like, yes, F-1's back. Three-week break again. What are they doing?

Why do we need a triple header and then three week break, then triple header? Do they feel like we can't concentrate if we have two week breaks between each races? Because for me, I love Formula One and I love watching Formula One, but we have discussed this maybe a few years ago about the quantity of races and things like that

and looking forward to races as well. For me, we don't need triple headers, necessarily. I wouldn't mind doubleheader, two week break, double header, two week break, double header. That for me, I think, would be better. Triple header three week break, triple header. I mean, for the teams, are they trying to just finish them off in the last, I mean, that's wild sense. Are they trying to, are they trying to tire them out so much at the end of the season? You know? Yeah, it's so, so bizarre. I mean, yeah, like, looking at the calendar now, I don't feel like the first half, and it's not even the first half, like I kind of said.

14 races, we got to the summer break. And I felt like they were very sensibly spaced out. You kind of had a couple of week breaks, then maybe you would have a back-to-back, the odd triple header, but nothing too crazy and not these huge breaks. We get back from the summer break. We have Netherlands, Italy, then a two-week break. where you get two more races, then a month break, then three more races, then three week break, then three more races, triple header.

That doesn't make any sense. It's like they've got to the 14th race where everything's locked in, and then they're kind of, you know, they've got all the contracts sort of sorted for the first 14 races and then go, there's a lot of time left, not many races. Stefano, have we managed to sort 30 races yet? No, oh, we're still on 24. Oh, okay, oops. So we've signed all of these dates

And we've still got half a year left What do we do? And also as well, I think it's worth discussing Not just the oddly wood spaced races But the triple head are not making sense at all But I know that I'm sure Las Vegas They probably offer you one weekend That you can cause absolute carnage

At a place like that To be able to deliver a Formula One race But at the same time Just from a common sense perspective why is that a triple header involving Qatar and Abu Dhabi afterwards? Surely Vegas deserves a week each side to get ready for it and then leave. That one doesn't make any sense to me. No, and I feel like that one was the one that all the teams said was an absolute killer last year.

It was, yeah, because the session times. The session times were weird. So everyone was knackered anywhere and then it's like, right, we've got to get to Qatar now, which my, I mean, I'm. I'm pretty sure I remember looking at it last year. How long is a flight from Las Vegas to Qatar? I don't feel like it's very... You know, you have these other ones where they're kind of close.

18 and a half hours. What? Yeah. For back to back, how? I get it, I get it. Like... 18 and a half hours. To get from Vegas to Kassah.

A triple header makes sense sometimes, you know, USA, Mexico, Brazil, you kind of get it because they're kind of all pretty close to each other to a point. USA and Mexico, of course, are Brazil less so, but it's still kind of close. But an 18-hour flight when you've just had the awful session times of Vegas, the poor people working in Formula One are going to be absolutely destroyed doing that. insane. They certainly are. So that one is definitely a big talking point.

Not really one that anyone at the moment is really speaking about, but I'm sure within the paddock, they are highlighting their concerns quite a lot. But they highlighted the concerns last year, and nothing's changed as far as I'm aware. I'm pretty sure Vegas is on exactly the same time as it was last year. Let's have a look.

The race here is 6 a.m. So, yeah, they haven't changed the session time. at all, I don't think. Not much at all, to be honest, no. Yeah, so it's not really manageable. Let's talk about sprints then, shall we? Because that is also something else, which is, I've almost forgotten they exist.

Same. Like, when's the last sprint that we had? The last sprint was June the 29th, and the next one is October the 19th. June the 29th, it's my birthday. Hello, come on. Come on, my lads. That's why I can't remember it that much.

So it was a good one. Yeah, so that's, that's a long time. And then we've got one in Austin, one in Brazil. One in Brazil, one in Qatar. Why have we got three sprints in the last six races? Yeah. Another thing, I was exactly the same as you where I kind of forgot sprints were thing because at the start of the year it felt like, oh, China, we had the sprint.

then two weeks later we're in Miami doing a sprint then yeah like a month and a bit for Austria but then yeah we've not had a sprint for ages and then they all come at once for the end and I don't know it just surely surely you want them spaced out a bit more rather than is the cynic in me saying that they put it at the end of the season so everyone goes oh actually yeah sprints are awesome especially if we get this title battle

and then it kind of justifies them doing more. But why there's this kind of barren part of the F1 calendar where sprints don't exist for, what, four months? Yeah, like what? What's that about? You do wonder how they decide the sprints because none of this is purely on entertainment and what will give us the best sprint racing.

is it? We already spoke about Miami and how every Miami race had been terrible. So why don't we give them one more and see if it works? And you do wonder if it is a case of the highest bidder

or particular conversations that go on because it is a very strangely spaced sprints. You would think, yeah, you got 24, six of them, put them every four races

and then it works beautifully. But sadly, F1 is run by more things. Can I just say it's the same next year as well? Pretty much. Oh, good. You have one in March, end of March, one at the start of May, one in July, and then again, October, November. So the same, Austin, Brazil and Qatar again get the sprints. I like the Brazil was always a sprint. That is the one W. That is the one where you go. That is where they go, yeah, this will be a banger, so we're going to have a sprint.

the others you've got to think you know is maybe for more kind of marketing reasons and stuff Belgium again that wasn't a good sprint why they're doing that next year but that's for another video yeah this calendar just makes

no sense it doesn't it doesn't but look we just thought we wanted to essentially just rant a little bit because it doesn't make much sense Formula One aren't changing it for next year what 26 will look like. We'll have to wait until next year to find that out.

Tommy, have you got any other sort of further anger to share with everyone? Well, yeah, looking at the 2025 calendar, at least they seem to have learnt their lesson, which makes me, I'm convinced that there must have been this rogue race in the middle of this that's kind of, they had quite nice spacing out for whatever reason it's folded at the last minute or they couldn't quite make it happen. and the way Formula One's growing in America

and they're pushing lots of US races makes me think that surely it was a US race after Singapore maybe to even have before for Austin. The Maksa Tappan fan in me is going, well, at least Red Bull have a month now to work on their car. Of all the people that are not ranting right now, it's probably Red Bull because they're probably the happiest that they've got a month

to kind of work out. I'll have six weeks, everyone. Why don't we have two months off? Just to really dial in our car. I mean, you say that Formula One have learnt their lesson. There is still the Vegas, Qatar, Abu Dhabi triple header at the end of the next season as well. So I'm sure the teams will be fuming with that one. And I think we will leave it there.

So thank you, everybody, for watching and listening. We are into this sort of hazy period of No Formula One, but we will keep you entertained with podcasts and all that sort of stuff. our UK end-of-season live show tour is available. Tickets, links and everything else will be all over our social media, so please come along. It's going to be the biggest, best show yet. And Tommy, we're going to the US of A. Well, actually, no, we're going to Canada first, aren't we, for our live show tour over there,

which there are still a few tickets available. So come along. Indeed. And there's not random four-week breaks between our shows, so don't worry about it. We're, we've climbed it a lot better. For those that are coming to all of them, you won't be sad about the breaks. Right, that is it. Tommy, what are your final thoughts? Final thoughts are...

You just shared a thought and now you've lost everything. Sort out, brilliant. Thank you, Tommy. I'd get rid of just sort of sprints out as well. That's almost a new rant that I need to have about sprints, just picking terrible circuits for them. That don't make sense. Hey, another ramp from Tommy.

I'm ready for it. We'll see you very soon, everybody. Lots of love, take care. Bye-bye. Goodbye. P1 is a Stack production and part of the ACAST Created Network.