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Heated Debate Explodes on Twitter as F1 Plans to Go Ahead With Arduous Working Schedules

Published 12/25/2021, 2:58 AM EST

The 2022 F1 season is all set to feature a 23-race calendar, that too with a shorter time frame between March and November. The upcoming season will feature two triple-headers, one of which is more logistically challenging than the other. The squeezed in calendar has been a widely polarising issue because of its exhaustive nature.

Former F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen warned the FIA of its consequences earlier this season. These schedules expose the mechanics and supporting crew in F1 to potential burnout. However, with the ever-growing commercial demands of the sport, many believe this is a viable step going ahead.

More recently, the debate around the exploitative working hours of F1 mechanics is catching fire. While some believe that this is the start of an even more extreme time schedule for the workers, others harshly say that those who cannot cope with the grueling work demands can simply find another job outside F1.

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The debate over the hectic calendar in F1

Motorsport covered a story providing a perspective on this from inside the paddock. This sparked a debate calling out the poor standards for the support crew.

A Twitter user remarked on the situation saying, “All I’ll say to this, 15 hour days 5 or 6 days a week is sometimes the norm in my line of work. If they can’t do it, someone else can.”

All I'll say to this, 15 hour days 5 or 6 days a week is sometimes the norm in my line of work.
If they can't do it, someone else can.
— Joao⁴ (@BaronAtreides) December 23, 2021

However, it sparked a heated conversation. Another user replied to this saying, “”My job’s shit so everyone else can suffer” – quite the peach aren’t you?”

“I do my job as I love it, I care. I also knew the conditions before I signed up. Maybe the problem isn’t me being a peachy, but you being precious and misplacing sympathies for those that ACTUALLY NEED it. Reality check please,” said a user named Joao.

I do my job as I love it. I care. I also knew the conditions before I signed up.
Maybe the problem isn't me being a peachy, but you being precious and misplacing sympathies for those that ACTUALLY NEED it.
Reality check please
— Joao⁴ (@BaronAtreides) December 23, 2021

Many such responses followed. One user said in a cold tweet that the F1 mechanic bringing out the perspective thinks he is irreplaceable. To this a verified account named Hazel Southwell replied, “do you actually think people with the skills to work in an F1 garage are like, just lying around anywhere? like there are thousands of people with the incredibly specific knowledge, who could just step in mid-season? what a joke.”

do you actually think people with the skills to work in an F1 garage are like, just lying around anywhere? like there are thousands of people with the incredibly specific knowledge, who could just step in mid-season? what a joke.
— Hazel Southwell (@HSouthwellFE) December 23, 2021

Let’s look at more reactions on this matter.

Wow! So you're the kind of person that literally would say "leave if you can't deal with it". Shame we have ppl like this in the world. You without doubt get better work from ppl that are happy and feel valued! Nice to know how you think of other ppl (that also have a life)
— Bob Burner (@Brian_Bulldog76) December 24, 2021

Mechanics are the ones who have the travel the world every week and have much lower wages than engineers. Did you read the part that says other series pay their mechanics a bit less for half the work?
— Darius Carvalho (@DariusCarv) December 23, 2021

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Equally making sure they have proper breaks on race weekends and more investment on staff welfare. Budget cuts imposed on teams can’t be to the detriment of the staff who are working for the teams.
— Imi 🌏🇬🇧🇪🇺 (@StandbySirLewis) December 24, 2021

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With growing dissent against the arduous working schedule, the FIA might have to take a further look into this. Tell us what you think. Do you think the FIA needs to take into account the workers who make it all possible, or should they put the fans and the money first?

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Written by:

Rituraj Tripathi is an F1 author at EssentiallySports. A true lover of speed, he is big fan of Lewis Hamilton and finds a future world champion in Lando Norris. Rituraj eagerly looks forward to the paddock moving to the Circuit de Monaco, and he finds Portier corner as the most exciting part of the track.

Heated Debate Explodes on Twitter as F1 Plans to Go Ahead With Arduous Working Schedules

The debate over the hectic calendar in F1

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