Analysis: No Rest for F1's Weary Footsoldiers

Formula One's tired footsoldiers face a sobering thought as they gear up for a seventh race in nine weeks on Sunday: they could be busier than ever next year.

A draft calendar for 2005 has been issued with 19 dates on it, one more than this season's already unprecedented number. That does not mean that there will be that many - but it could happen and even committed petrolheads are beginning to wonder how much they can take.

This weekend's British Grand Prix completes the third pairing of back to back races this season and the summer break between Hockenheim on July 25 and Hungary on August 15 cannot come too soon for some.

"I'm knackered. I am shattered," confessed Minardi's Australian boss Paul Stoddart, a chain-smoking workaholic, at last weekend's French Grand Prix.

"I didn't realise what three back-to-backs would do, seven races in nine weeks - your life's just changed. I've had to push things to one side, meetings I would normally have done.

"Looking around this paddock there are some pretty tired people. By the time we do Silverstone there will be some very tired people.

"It's funny. Last year we did 16 and we all more or less breezed through that. You wouldn't think just two more races (would make a difference) but it's just the continually back-to-back ones that have really hurt, they really do knock you back.

"When you have Monaco, which is a race that you cannot pack down on a Sunday night very easily, and then you've got to be at the Nurburgring the very next week - that was seriously hard work," said Stoddart.

Threatened Races

While only dates have been published so far for 2005, Stoddart said he knew there were 19 names on the list - the same as this year plus Turkey.

"There are 19 names on a list, I can assure you of that," he said. "The key to it is - are we going to lose any?

"There probably aren't at the moment all 19 contracts in place so it would be very easy to see one or two drop off," he added. "You'd have to ask (Formula One supremo) Bernie (Ecclestone) how many of those 19 races are not yet potentially safe and there's probably quite a few."

Silverstone would be one of them.

Ecclestone has reacquired the rights to promote the race but has made clear that he has no intention of losing money in doing so himself.

While Silverstone hosted the first Grand Prix in 1950, the future remains uncertain beyond this year with Ecclestone's Formula One Administration saying this week that a promoter needed to be found by the end of September.

Imola, which hosts the San Marino Grand Prix, needs refurbishment and remains doubtful despite lobbying on its behalf from champions Ferrari.

So too does France, which narrowly avoided being struck off this year's calendar as a result of financial problems. Turkey, set for its Grand Prix debut, can take nothing for granted until a circuit is approved but Bahrain, a new addition this year, looks safe.

Money Talks

There is also the small problem of teams agreeing to go to more than 17 races.

"Beyond 17 has to be agreed by the teams," said Stoddart. "So officially I am expecting 17 races next year because nobody has asked me to vote or be consulted on numbers 18 and 19."

And when the teams are asked, money will do the talking.

"We're not completely opposed to more races but if we do go down the path of more races then we will most definitely have to have greater income from it in order to implement some sort of process where we can rotate our team members," said McLaren's Ron Dennis.

"That is the only way that we would be able to do it."