FORMULA ONE’S ruthless expansion of its racing calendar could end up seeing a staggering 30 races in the 2030 season.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali hinted at the possibility of this super-sized schedule last year.
He told Sky Sports: “I would say there is potential to go to 30! In terms of the interest we see all around the world.”
There are currently 23 races, with the current Concorde Agreement between teams and F1 maxing out the calendar at 24 races per season.
However, this deal expires in 2025. So if the calendar is expanded to accommodate 30 races, how might it look?
Assuming such an expansion is viable, it stands to reason that most, if not all, of the current races on the calendar would have room to remain.
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This is despite only seven of the circuits having deals which run up to 2030 and rumours suggesting the likes of Belgium and Monaco could be cut, with the former’s track deal running out after this season.
In terms of new tracks, the aggressive expansion of exposure in the United States – which has three races already – could see new more tracks added to take the total to FIVE races.
The locations of these races could be New York City, who have previously declared their desire to host a race, and a return to Long Beach, California where F1 has not raced since 1983.
In South America, Colombia are a leading candidate to join the calendar, with Marca, via Planet F1, reporting an agreement is close for a ten-year deal for the “Carribbean Grand Prix” from 2024 or 2025.
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Domenicali confirmed F1’s intention to return to Africa at Liberty Media’s Investor call last month.
He declared: “It’s no secret we are still seeing if there’s a chance to go to Africa. It’s the only continent missing.”
South Africa’s Kyalami circuit has been tipped to host this return and its first F1 race since 1993, while the move has also been backed by star drivers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Asia and the Middle East are other areas where potential expansion could come in, with South Korea and Dubai in the UAE both tipped to host races.
Vietnam, who were forced to cancel their first-ever F1 race due to Covid-19, have returned to the table of trying to host a race, with reports in Vietnam suggesting Domenicali recently visited Hanoi.
F1’s continental home of Europe could also be gearing up for some new venues, with Spain’s capital Madrid also in discussions for its own race.
When speaking at the launch of an F1 exhibition in Madrid, Domenicali said: “They are working to bring a race here and F1 is delighted to have so many contenders, because this way we become more and more popular.
“Two races in Spain of course is very difficult, so we are happy with Barcelona who have a contract and a strong relationship – but it is true that Madrid wants a race so we will see. All of this is good for F1.”
Despite the seemingly endless appetite to expand, Domenicali has also erred on the side of caution regarding expansion into new territories.
He admitted: “We need to be balanced, we need to see what are the other opportunities.
“And very soon we are going to tell everyone what is our strategy to develop that market.
“On top of America, on top of China, I think there is a potential also to be in Africa soon.
“There is a lot of interest there. For sure that’s another area that so far is missing in the geography of our calendar…
“It is up to us to try to find the right balance considering what are the venues which would like to be in F1, what are the historical values we need to see on the calendar.
“There are some promoters who have expiring agreements, and probably some of the current Grand Prix will no longer be part of the calendar.”
The 30-race calendar idea has also faced opposition from AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost – who will step down at the end of the season.
He said in October: “We all should be happy that we are in a position to be in Formula 1 and to have 23 races and if someone doesn’t like it then he should go.”
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“For me 23 races is the absolute limit, not from the workload point of view, but because I am concerned that with such a high number of races, in the end it could cause people to lose interest in Formula 1.”
Other legacy tracks may also make a comeback by popular demand, such as Malaysia, Germany, Portugal or Turkey.
Complete F1 2023 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix this year
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
