The FIA has announced a mandatory winter shutdown for Formula 1 teams amid concerns over the impact longer seasons are having on staff.
This year, the F1 circus will make an unprecedented 23 stops around the globe – beginning in Bahrain for pre-season testing this week before concluding in Abu Dhabi in November. The plan was to have 24 races, but the Chinese Grand Prix originally scheduled for mid-April has been cancelled.
Nevertheless, the schedule will be gruelling for all involved. Even though the calendar starts and ends in the Middle East, there will be around 80,000 miles of travelling around the globe over the course of the season with few opportunities for extended periods of rest.
The off-season provides respite for some, including the drivers and some other staff members not required for a while. But team factories remain a hive of activity with most staff members working flat out on preparations for the following year including car development.
In response to concerns over staff burnout, a new winter shutdown period will be introduced. Similar shutdowns in the summer have been practiced before in F1, but this will be the first time an enforced limit has been put in place over the off-season.
The FIA has yet to confirm the proposed length of the shutdown, which will affect power unit production programmes as well as the teams themselves. The move is also subject to approval by the governing body's World Motor Sport Council.
The move comes after Grand Prix Drivers' Association chair Alexander Wurz spoke out on behalf of drivers about worries over the increased workload which comes with a busier race calendar. "Of course we have to ensure that the acting individuals are not burned out by too many races over the years, something the drivers are considering as a concern," he recently told PlanetF1.
"As well as the concern that the audience accept more races. But I see no danger to the sport if the business interest sets the direction for long term sustainable models, which is what I see Liberty [Media] doing with the right balance."
Other changes to be made following the latest F1 Commission meeting this week include: Changes to DRS zones in Melbourne, Bahrain, Jeddah, Baku and Miami; resurfacing in Baku and Miami as well as other track work in Qatar and Jeddah; less restrictive parc ferme regulations on Sprint weekends; and the introduction of a new wet weather tyre which does not require the use of tyre blankets.
