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Mercedes and McLaren want to rotate with staff and races from now on

Mercedes and McLaren want to rotate with staff and races from now on

29-09-2021 12:57 Last update: 15:23
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GPblog.com

The Formula 1 calendar is expanding. Before 2012 the number of Grand Prix never exceeded twenty, but this year there are already 22 and next season even 23. This of course puts extra pressure on the teams and their staff. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff sees a possible solution to this problem.

Mandatory staff rotation

In addition to the Sunday races, there will be a number of sprint races again next season. This will also create an extra workload. Wolff expressed confidence in Sochi that Formula 1 is taking this into account. "With Stefano [Domenicali] we have the best person in his role to balance income and workload. He has managed a team and knows the pressure on people, which is huge, especially on the mechanics who have to be at the track well in time," he told Autosprint.

Wolff has already taken measures at Mercedes to reduce the workload. There they work with a rotation schedule for the employees. However, the team boss wants to go a step further. "I think we should make rotation mandatory, if it is within what we can afford. For example, you could have a maximum of three races. For the other three races you would have to bring in someone else."

Also rotating with races

Andreas Seidl also sees problems with the expanding calendar. More and more countries want to organise a Grand Prix and the Formula 1 wants to expand to Africa, Asia and North America. The McLaren team boss hopes that the workload at the teams will continue to be taken into account. "We have to look for the right balance between the commercial interests we all have and the workload we can impose on our employees," he said.

"We are thinking of a calendar that is more focused on quality and exclusivity, about twenty races a year, maybe even some that rotate from year to year, so that we are also available to new markets," continued Seidl. "I know Stefano personally as a man of the people and he also provides leadership to many people. I hope he will take these aspects into consideration. I am confident that he will find the right balance in the future."