26/09/2025
NEWS STORY
Williams boss James Vowles believes that two-day race weekends would allow F1 bosses to extend the calendar.
Putting aside the fact the quality should take precedence over quantity the fact is that the sport's powers that be want more races, for not only would that mean more income from promoters but increased revenue from broadcasters and more opportunities to flog various crap to the ever changing demographic.
The Concorde Agreement that binds the sport currently limits the schedule to 24 races but with countries said to be queueing up to host a round of the world championship it is clear that sooner or later the subject is going to come up for discussion again.
Most drivers have said the 24 is more than enough, but with the thought of all that money the teams are going to be sorely tempted.
Vowles believes that reducing race weekends to two days might offer a solution.
"I don't think we have too many races," he tells the Business of Sport podcast, "but I would not go above where we are at the moment because we're asking people at home to be there for half a year. Half your weekends are spent watching Formula 1. I think that's about the extreme end of where you can go to.
However...
"I would change - and this is very much my opinion," he stresses, "I would change to two-day weekends. I would do Saturday and Sunday.
"And here's the reason why; we can do more at that point in time. I know I just said 24 rounds is the maximum, but I actually wouldn't be concerned about the fact because we've given back Friday, which is one day.
"If you added another two race weekends in, you'd still be net in the same amount of time that you were previously.
"I think we can commercialise it in a different way," he adds. "But, more than that, I think the product will be better because we do a lot of practice at the moment. Now, if you force us, you get one hour before qualifying, and that's it. That's quite a different proposition. So, I think you'll get more variability and more randomness that comes out of it."
F1 boss Stefano Domenicali has already made clear that he feels practice sessions are a waste of time - an opinion he didn't voice while team boss at Ferrari - and Sprint weekends do away with two of the sessions.
However, quite how teams would manage with just one practice session at every event doesn't bear thinking about, and, using his own team's fortunes this year as an example, perhaps Vowles should be considering four-day weekends.
Then again, be it a three-day, two-day or one-day event the travel logistics involved would be just the same.
Furthermore, how many of the existing hosts and promoters, not to mention those queuing up, would be interested in an event that only lasts a weekend, most are in it to encourage tourism, however a two day event somewhat compromises this.
One cannot help but feel that the former Mercedes strategist is echoing the thoughts of his former boss.