The strain on the faces of F1’s weary travellers really is starting to show. Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack emerges as a voice spotlighting the herculean task faced by teams during these most intense of periods of the bursting 2023 calendar – as yet another grand prix is added to next year’s schedule. And it’s the controversial sprint races that threaten to push the sport’s hardest workers over the edge, especially when nestled within the exhaustive American triple-header.
Krack, in an interview with Servus TV, peeled back the curtain on the grueling reality of F1’s current schedule. “I think we have now found a good balance with six sprints in 24 races,” he acknowledged, giving a nod to the balance struck between the traditional race formats and the recently introduced sprints. Yet, it’s the compact intensity of these sprints within the broader race itinerary that has drawn Krack’s scrutiny.
“You also have to realize that it is tough for the team if you have a triple-header overseas at the end of the year and then also two sprint races,” he revealed, delving into the logistical and physical marathon that teams endure. The 2023 late-season races, particularly the North American leg concluding with the Brazilian Grand Prix, underscored the immense pressures of the sport’s demanding schedule.
Krack’s insights offer a glimpse into the strategic whirlwind that teams contend with during sprint weekends. “You only have a very short time in free practice and then you also have the Sprint Shootout, which of course throws the whole thing into disarray,” he shared. But it’s not just the pacing that complicates matters. Krack pointed to the practical difficulties during sprint events, such as varying cool-down lap strategies that can lead to unexpected track congestion and the resultant issues—challenges that were particularly pronounced at the compact circuit of Interlagos.
“The fact that it is a very short circuit with twenty cars obviously made it even more difficult. That always leads to problems,” he said.
