There are four weeks between Singapore and Austin: What that means for the Formula 1 drivers and how they assess the long forced break
When Esteban Ocon looked at the Formula One calendar, he probably felt the same way as some fans: “I didn’t realize there was such a long break,” admitted the Alpine driver. Nevertheless, there are four weeks between the Grands Prix in Singapore and Austin. It’s a “second summer break”, if you will, after Formula 1 already took a four-week break in August.
“The Formula 1 management and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile thought this through well,” says Ocon. But the long second break was not actually planned: it arose from the restructuring of the calendar and could no longer be filled otherwise due to individual race dates.
But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s an opportunity for drivers and teams to take a deep breath before two “work-intensive” triple headers, according to Ocon. “Jet lag is also a big issue then. That makes it difficult for everyone involved. So it’s a good thing to have the chance to recharge our batteries before those triple headers.”
Max Verstappen also explicitly welcomes the four-week break. It’s the “perfect time” for another break, he says. The reason: the rest of the 2024 season will be “a little more relaxed” as a result.
“It’s nothing new that the end of the season is always very hectic. But that’s just the way it is. You can argue about it, but it doesn’t change anything,” says Verstappen.
Ocon adds: the long Formula 1 season, which now has 24 Grands Prix, also has its ‘downsides.’ He is looking forward all the more to the ‘second summer break’ before Austin.
“I remember well how sick and tired people were last year, especially after Las Vegas,” says Ocon. ”That was tough back then because we only work at night there. And we’re always trying to make the whole thing better. So we’ll wait and see how that goes.”
In fact, after the Formula One premiere on the new street circuit in Las Vegas, many people involved had complained about the schedule. But in 2023, Las Vegas was “only” the start of a back-to-back with the finale in Abu Dhabi. In 2024, the third US race marks the first stop on the final triple-header with Qatar and Abu Dhabi at the end.
