F1 drivers and teams weigh in on the gap created on the 2023 calendar and if it bodes well for them or not in current times.
With the opening three Grands Prix done, there is be a three-week break between Australia and Azerbaijan, with the fourth weekend staging the F1 race. In a 23-race campaign, it is somewhat surprising how long the gap is between the races.
But this was not a planned gap as F1 did not replace the cancelled Chinese GP with another grand, nor they brought forward the races to fill up the gap. The calendar is such that there are gaps available at the start of the year, but not so much in the second half.
For some, it is a blessing in disguise as they get more time to get spare parts ready and or plan their development programme without the hustle and bustle of a grand prix weekend. Of course, they get limited testing time on track but they can plan future moves.
From the F1 teams or drivers point of view, it is both good and bad. While no one denies not liking a break, but some feel it breaks some of the momentum they have got going. Although the pecking order may not change hugely but some teams hope for a change.
Here’s what F1 drivers and team bosses think –
Zhou Guanyu: “Yeah, obviously, I don’t want to have that break, because you know which race was missing from that break! But yeah, I think with such a busy calendar we’re going to, it’s not just about going to different race weekends, it’s also going to a lot of activities with the team, sponsorships. So I think it’s always nice to have some period off and I think, you know, for most of the drivers to reset and try to prepare for the forthcoming [races] and work on the weaknesses and try to improve all these things.”
Charles Leclerc: “Yeah, I think in the situation we are in as a team, we take this as an opportunity to work as much as possible during this break in order to get upgrades as quickly as possible and be as competitive as we want the sooner in this season. It’s still a very, very long season, we’ve only done two races. So, we are fully motivated to get back on top. And we’ll try to use these weeks in the best way possible.”
Oscar Piastri: “Yeah, I think, for me, it’s a nice opportunity to, I guess, look back at the first three races of my F1 career and digest what went well, what went not so well. And it’s a bit of a reset for the rest of the year. So, I think it’ll be nice for everyone. Obviously, you want to keep that momentum if you’re going well, it’s a good chance to reset if you’re not, so I think we’ll use it to our advantage.”
Fernando Alonso: “No, I prefer to keep racing. Obviously, you will use it just to prepare for the next race in a better way and review the first three races. And, you know, in my case it’s a new team, so there are a couple of things that we want to revisit and things. So, yeah it’s OK, but it’s better to do it on a racetrack.”
Max Verstappen: “Well, a few weeks ago, I would say that I was not looking forward to it. But then I got really ill and I’ve just been struggling a bit since that time, especially last race out. So for me now these three weeks is just getting back to, like, full fitness, getting a full programme in. So, in a way, it’s probably nice now. Normally, if you just feel well, I think I would also prefer to keep racing. It has nothing to do with looking into the car, trying to make it faster. I think that’s a natural process. But it’s a bit weird to have three weeks off, especially that early in the season.”
Otmar Szafnauer: “Well, the break wasn’t planned but it is a welcome break from both getting ample car parts, spares as well as when we do bring developments. You know there’s a huge effort to make enough of those parts to ensure that you can really push hard – so that definitely helps. And also the break allows you to plan further upgrades that you find through your simulation tools, and knowing that the break is there, you plan them a bit differently – but it definitely helps.”
Guenther Steiner: “Yeah, I think our development plan is set before and this break doesn’t make a real difference because the race team doesn’t work on the developments of the car but it’s more for the race team, there’s an opportunity to have a little bit of rest because the rest of the season will be tough. I just said to the guys, take it easy in these three weeks, don’t do anything I wouldn’t be doing. In the end, just to sit back a little bit.
“But the development is ongoing. It was planned already last year, what we are doing, but obviously it helps when you don’t have to bring it to China. If you had something planned for China, you have a little bit more time to make it better and get more prepared, also with data after the first races. But the main thing is the guys should relax a little bit to be ready for the tough part of the season.”
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