Who knew the sky-rocketing popularity of Formula 1 will also have a negative aspect? In fact, this negative aspect is so detrimental that it has a negative physical effect on the traveling circus’s crew. If you’re wondering what it is, we will give you two examples to prove that, highlighting the states of Williams man Alex Albon and Mercedes pilot George Russell. The former backed the latter’s claim with an honest admission.

Albon made this admission after the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP when pressed upon by the host of the F1 Nation podcast, Tom Clarkson. The Williams driver gave it his all throughout the season to secure a P7 in the Constructor’s Championship after finishing dead last in 2022. However, this 100% output throughout the season was the reason for his being out of sorts. But it wasn’t just him.

Alex Albon opened up about his and his team’s physical state in Abu Dhabi

Alex Albon has been sensational in 2023 and is majorly responsible for the P7 finish for Williams. However, giving his 100% came at the cost of his health. Health which has been deteriorating thanks to the extensive and highly exhausting 2023 season’s 22-race calendar. Initially planned to go racing 23 times, the drivers got one less race because of the sudden flooding of Imola. However, despite going to one venue less than planned, the exhaustion-inducing traveling finally caught up to everyone, taking its toll on the paddock. And Albon honestly admitted this during his post-race interview.

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During the conversations, Tom Clarkson noticed that the Thai driver sounded “a bit bummed up.” Albon confessed, “I am. I’m very sick. I think there’s been a bit of a cold going around the paddock since Vegas. So the last bit of energy I had has gone out of me, and just with all the traveling, everyone’s been getting sick since the last race.” This came after his best friend George Russell had similar remarks about the extensive calendar.

The Mercedes driver, who confessed to “coughing on every lap” of the Abu Dhabi GP, took his second podium of the season after being ill the whole weekend. After the race, Russell said, “I’ve got so many mechanics who are ill. People in the engineers’ office [are] just really struggling with the constant timezone shifts, the body not knowing where you are, eating at different times, staying in different hotels, different environments, different climates. The body’s getting confused.”

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There’s no doubt the ever-growing race calendar is taking a toll on everyone involved in the F1 circus. With the 2024 season set to have a record-breaking 24 races, it looks like it will only get worse. So what’s the solution? George Russell brought one of them to light.

George Russell advocated a change for the better

The 22-race calendar was extremely exhausting for the entire circus crew. The poor geographical planning made the 2023 season all the more brutal, with everyone constantly traveling. The unsustainable calendar took a toll on everyone, and although it’s better planned for next year, there’s still a need for change. Russell said, “I think there are talks for next year about personnel being regulated so that they can’t do every single race. That would be a good thing. I don’t think it’s sustainable [for] 4,000 people to do 24 races a season.” Guess what? McLaren has already started doing this!

In a recent interview earlier this year, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella revealed the team had started rotating its engineers to reduce their workload. He said, “It becomes a challenge, even on a personal level, to cope with all the races. We want to create such a long chain of people who can support the driver. That’s why there’s so much rotation because we need to give all the engineers as much experience as possible.”

The upcoming season will further push the limits of physical sustainability, with 24 races planned for 2024. The next season’s record calendar will give us a clearer picture of how great a toll these many races will take on the sport. For everyone’s sake, let’s hope it’s not too severe.

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