MADRID, 24 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The CEO of Formula 1, Stefano Domenicali, defended this Wednesday that 24 “is the ideal number of races” on the calendar “for now”, responding to criticism from the drivers, including Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), for a World Cup that was too saturated compared to the beginning, stating that “if they don’t want to race, they don’t have to.”
“I think 24 is the ideal number for now. The good news for this year is that I have committed to the teams and the promoter to announce the calendar much earlier than usual, so that everyone is prepared,” said the president of the competition in statements to Sky F1 Sports collected by Europa Press.
And the Italian did not miss the opportunity to respond to criticism from drivers like Verstappen and Alonso, who are opposed to calendars with so many races that they will “deplete their batteries.” “I think 24 is better than 12. I talk to them (the drivers), if you want to drive here, you can do it every day, if you don’t want to race in Formula 1, you don’t have to,” he asserted.
“It is a matter of respect for the fans, because they want to see them compete. It is something that is our responsibility, before all our fans, before our partners, before our promoters, our sponsors and our intermediaries,” he explained.
For Domenicali, the drivers and the teams owe themselves to the followers of the ‘Great Circus’, who want more race weekends to see them for longer. “It’s the magic of the sport we live in because we need heroes who enjoy what they do. And they sure do,” he concluded.