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Verstappen: 22-race F1 calendar will lead to divorces

Red Bull Racing Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen has questioned the extension of the 2020 calendar to 22 races, and suggested that it will lead to divorces for mechanics.

Adam Cooper

Edited: Oct 4, 2019, 7:27 PM

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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Next year's schedule will be the longest in the history of the sport, with Hockenheim going and Hanoi and Verstappen's own home race at Zandvoort added.

Verstappen says his main concern is for crew members, who have to spend long hours at circuits.

"I don't agree with 22 races a year," he said. "I think we should just pick the best tracks out there – I know they want to make money, but they also have to think about the mechanics who rock up to the track.

"They arrive Monday or Tuesday to build everything up while the big bosses arrive on a Saturday or maybe even a Saturday morning and fly even during the race back home.

"For them it's not a problem, they can easily do 30, because they're only away for three days.

"For most of the people it's at least five or six days, and then I'm not even complaining about us, it's the mechanics, they can file for a divorce straight away if there's going to be more."

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Racing Point's Sergio Perez expressed similar sentiments on behalf of crew members.

"It's a lot of action," said the Mexican. "Not for drivers, we love racing, although it's a lot of big commitments, because we don't only have the racing, we have the simulator, sponsorship events, we have to keep fit and so on, so it's a lot – it's over the limit.

"But also for the mechanics. They're here since Monday, they leave sometimes on Tuesday, so it's already I think on the very high side for the people that work in the teams."

Perez admitted that a busier schedule was harder now that he is a family man with children.

"Yeah, I'll see if they don't divorce me! We started when there were 19 races. It's a lot. But as I say I think for us drivers it's a lot of work, but some of the European races we are able to come early on Thursday, and so on.

"I'm more concerned for the mechanics, and engineers, I think they're the ones who are going to be quite worried.

"I doubt they will be able to have any social life at this level, so it's very hard. There will be a point where we might be looking to have two crews, and splitting them or something."

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