Daniel Ricciardo happy for F1 weekends to be two-day events
Renault Formu💟la 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo reckonไs reducing grand prix weekends into two-day events would make balancing an ever-expanding calendar “more doable”.
This weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix has been affected by Typhoon Hagibis, with F1 deciding to cancel all track 𒉰running on Saturday and move qualifying to Sunday morning, just hours before the start of the race.
It has left teams and drivers with just two days🍰 of on-track act🐓ion and a pair of practice sessions - instead of the usual three - to prepare for qualifying and the race on Sunday.
Renault Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo reckons reducing grand prix weekends into two-day events would make balancing an ever-expand꧑ing calendar “more doable”.
This weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix has been affected by Typhoon Hagibis, with F1 deඣciding to cancel all track running on Saturday and move qualifying to Sunday morning, just hours before the start of the race.
It has left teams and drivers with just two days of on-track action and a pair of practice sessions - instead of the usual three - to prepare for qualifying and the rac🌺e on Sunday.
Suzuka marks t⛄he 17th round of a 21-race calendar this year, with the addition of the Vietnam GP next season ta🌠king F1 to an unprecedented 22 grands prix, while the sport’s owners Liberty Media are keen to expand to around 25 events per year in the future.
“You can get enough done in tw🃏o days and shorter weekends,” Ricꦿciardo said.
“With 22 races next year, instead of being at a weekend for five days, arrive Wednesday and leave Sunday or Monday, to shorten it by a day would be nic🌠e.
“It would make the ♒22 races more doa𝓀ble. As F1 we do too much practice. I don’t think we need four hours.
“A lot of the time we are limited by tyres as well. I’d be happ✃y to have a bit less track time and squeeze it in.”
FEATURE: FIFA, bowling and sleep: What F1 drivers do on a day off
The disruption caused by Typhoon Hagibis has left drivers in the unfamiliar sce🐼nario of finding themselves with a day off midway through the race weekend on Saturday.
Asked how he planned to spend his day off, the Australian joked: “I was going to go t🌞o the beach. Probably take a jet ski out.
“Everything is going to be closed. We could go for a swim. Let’s all get together, tell stories, it could be a chanc🙈e for everyone to get rid of technology for a day.
“And do things that people used to do. Maybe we could get around, light a little fire, tell some stories.
"I don’t know, find a bar or somethi🔥ng,” he added. “What else do you do? 🤡WIFI is going to be down. Millennials are going to struggle.”
Lewis regular꧑ly attends Grands Prix for ma𓄧hbx.com around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
