Aston Martin to seek solution to staff "burden" during 23-race calendar

Sebastian Vettel makes his stop in Turkish GP — Photo: © LAT Images

São Paulo Grand Prix

Aston Martin to seek solution to staff "burden" during 23-race calendar

Freight issues in Brazil have highlighted potential problems for next year's congested calendar

Ewan Gale

Saturday 13 November 2021 14:10

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Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer has suggested the team will speak to its employees to ensure no burden is added to members of the travelling party during next year's record-breaking F1 calendar.

The sport will take in 23 races next season between March and November, with races in Australia, Japan and Singapore set to return after enforced lay-offs due to Covid, whilst Miami hosts its inaugural event.

The inclusion of triple-headers will again add strain to the workforce that follows F1 around the world, with staff being unable to see families for up to a month in some cases.

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Triple-headers are not new to the sport, with three this season during what has become an evolving calendar but Szafnauer has insisted he will search for what the team could do to alleviate stress for its members.

Freight issues heading into this weekend's São Paulo Grand Prix have highlighted concerns over staff welfare, given the quick turnaround from Mexico leading straight into an all-nighter to prepare cars and garages on Thursday night due to the delayed arrival of components.

"Well, we this year voted for the second triple-header. I think we all voted to have it," said Szafnauer when asked about an ideal calendar.

"Let’s see how it goes. We’re in the middle of a triple-header now. We had some freight issues and hopefully, that won’t repeat itself.

"We will reflect at the end of this year and we will speak to all the mechanics and engineers to see what we can do to make their lives easier when travelling to all the races.

F1 has set a cap of 25 races in a single year in the Concorde Agreement, with the likelihood of such a milestone increasing with the permanent addition of the Qatar Grand Prix from 2023 onwards.

"Twenty-three will be difficult, 22 this year isn’t easy, so getting to 25 you really have to look to see how they are spread and what we do so that we don’t put too heavy a burden on the travelling staff."