With the announcement of the 2023 F1 calendar, it became clear that next year is going to be a record year. At least, the F1 championship has never before consisted of 24 races. However, there was once a year when more Grands Prix were held.
Is 2023 even a record year?
The distinction between championship and non-championship races is important. Indeed, in the year 1954, only 10 races were scheduled to count towards the championship. The Dutch Grand Prix did not go ahead, so the season had only nine races. Juan Manuel Fangio won the title that year, winning as many as seven of the nine races.
That 1954 was still a record year is because, in addition to the nine championship races, no fewer than 25 'separate Grands Prix' were organised. That's already more Grands Prix than the total scheduled for next year's championship. The championships looked completely different in those years, it seems. Consequently, drivers did not participate in all the events organised that year. However, teams did have a particular amount of freedom in placing drivers. Over seventy different drivers drove a Grand Prix that year.