F1 could make huge changes to reduce environmental damage

Formula One bosses are reportedly planning an overhaul of the competition calendar in order to make the sport more environmentally friendly.

F1 is the most popular motorsport series in the world, and for good reason.

Every single race is jam-packed with drama, excitement and jaw-dropping moments as the best drivers on the planet go head-to-head.

The cars driven by the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso are incredible feats of engineering, while the fact that the series takes place across the globe makes F1 a truly global sport.

However, those factors, combined with an ever-expanding race calendar, mean that F1 is not exactly the most environmentally friendly sport in the world.

While new engine rules have been introduced in recent years to limit emissions, it now appears that F1 bosses are going to redesign the race calendar in order to reduce the number of long-haul flights needed to get teams and their vehicles from race to race.

F1 has drawn criticism this year due to the seemingly random scheduling of its Grand Prixs. The Miami and Canadian races fall between European races, meaning teams will have to travel between Europe and North American multiple times.

Now it appears that F1 bosses are looking to change that, by grouping races into regions from the 2024 season onwards.

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According to GrandPrix.com, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali informed teams of the intention to create a regionally-based calendar for the future while they were in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.

Reports claim that an example of this would be a triple-header formed by the Australian (17th March), Chinese (24th March), and Japanese (31st March) Grand Prixs in 2024.

The plan seems sensible, but it does come with some complications. The revised scheduling would force teams to race in unfavourable weather conditions in Suzuka, should the Japan race be held in late March instead of its current September slot.

A desire to offset the environmental impact of holding more races could also be a factor in Domenicali's proposal - according to reports he aims to add three more races to make the F1 season 25 races long.