The questions and concerns resulting from F1's relentless growth plan

The ‘L’ and ‘M’ in Liberty Media certainly don’t covertly stand for ‘Less is More’. There’s much to be said for the growth of Formula 1 since its American takeover in 2017. Audiences have boomed, revenues rocketed, and investors and commercial partners enticed. But there’s surely a risk that the championship one day, perhaps sooner than later, becomes a victim of its own success. 

For this, see the record-breaking provisional calendar for the 2023 Formula 1 season with 24 rounds and, thanks to six sprint contests, 30 races. Now, there’s nothing new in highlighting the shortcomings of a new schedule or its constituent events. However, this time around there are more reasons to do so than ever before. 

Firstly, the monetary motivation that enables Saudi Arabia to bank its place even after the missile strike and oh-so-close driver boycott back in March, plus the featureless Losail circuit in Qatar reprising its joyless role. Even though China will likely be kyboshed by COVID, and Spa and Monaco return with new contracts, the choice of some venues leaves much to be desired.

Then there’s two triple-headers, which will test the endurance of teams and crew to breaking point (and the patience of their nearest and dearest at home). Also, don’t forget the second Miami Grand Prix serving as an incongruous filling in an Azerbaijan-Imola sandwich before Canada splits Spain and Austria.

Those travel quandaries are similar to the ones present in 2022. Now, though, F1 is supposedly championing sustainability, and this new running order was meant to ease both the logistical headaches and F1’s carbon footprint. It hasn’t done that.

But what about those tuning in at home? Has the calendar swelled to such proportions that viewer fatigue and disengagement could set in? In the first instance, all looks good.

F1 is often compared to the Premier League. If you’re willing to forego tuning in for practice and qualifying, 24 lots of two hours on a Sunday (sprints not included) is less of a time commitment than watching the football team you support play 38 games, excluding cup competitions.

Fitting so many races in means more globe hopping that appears to fly in the face of F1's commitment to sustainability

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

However, if F1 continues to operate a ‘more is more’ approach, it seems inevitable a limit will be found – a point which will only become obvious once exceeded. There can be too much of a good thing. Especially since, historically, the 2021-spec final-race title decider is more an exception than the rule, particularly as a period of Red Bull and Max Verstappen dominance looms during this second ground-effect era. You can’t bank on every campaign going down to the wire to keep viewers engrossed until the final chequered flag of the season. 

Audience growth cannot be infinite. There will come a time when it reaches a peak and begins to flatten or even decline

It’s hard to imagine series CEO Stefano Domenicali has ever heard of axed primetime cop drama The Bill, let alone was a regular watcher in the late 1980s and early '90s. But just maybe there is a lesson to be learned from when the ITV network tried to exploit the show’s popularity by going from two episodes a week to three, only for audience growth to tail off, forcing a series of increasingly desperate format changes before it was finally dropped (well, that’s what my older colleagues tell me).

Format changes? More episodes? Liberty Media is already applying this methodology to F1 with the expanded calendar and the introduction of sprint races.

But audience growth cannot be infinite. There will come a time when it reaches a peak and begins to flatten or even decline. We can only hope that when that point comes, Liberty isn’t tempted to resort to even more desperate measures to spice up the show…

F1 plans to introduce the number of sprint races held in 2023 to six from its current three. Could there be too much of a good thing?

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images