"This is going to go a bit crazy for everyone"- Carlos Sainz urges F1 to keep its calendar 'under 25 races' after reports of a possible South African GP in 2023 emerge

Carlos Sainz has urged F1 to keep the number of races on the 2023 calendar to less than 25 after recent reports seemingly confirmed the South African GP.

The Spaniard believes that adding any more races to the already overcrowded calendar would get a “bit crazy for everyone” directly involved with the sport. Speaking ahead of the Austrian GP last weekend, he said:

“We need to keep the calendar under 25 races, otherwise this is going to go a bit crazy for everyone, even mechanics, engineers, us drivers. It could be too much so new places are welcome, but for sure some others need to fall.”

F1 is actively seeking a return to South Africa, with a race either at Kyalami or a custom-built street track in Johannesburg. But with Las Vegas also joining the fold next year, the addition of South Africa would mean that the number of races would increase to 24.

To alleviate the stress, the sport’s bosses are reportedly considering axing the Belgian GP at the historic Spa-Franchorchamps and the French GP at Circuit Paul Ricard. But the idea has received considerable pushback from both fans and drivers alike.

Carlos Sainz believes that one possible solution to the conundrum could be to rotate venues on alternate years. He said:

“I think the best compromise would be to do rotation and I understand that we might or that France or Spa maybe cannot afford to be in the calendar every year, but I hope that at least we can go there every two years or every three years we can visit Spa in a F1 car.”

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A fast but unreliable car is better than a slow yet reliable car, says Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz said that he would rather have a fast but unreliable car than be saddled with a slow, yet reliable car after his latest DNF at the Austrian GP.

Despite his frustration at not being able to secure a decent result for himself and Ferrari, Sainz felt that the unreliability was something that the team had to deal with while competing for the championship. Speaking to planetF1, he said:

“It’s not ideal, we have to take a closer look at the problems. Especially since it cost us a lot of points this time. That’s the way things work: if you have a fast car, I’d rather have a car that breaks down than a slow car that doesn’t break down.”

The engine fire at the Austrian GP cost Carlos Sainz yet another power unit, meaning that he will likely have to take grid penalties to take on fresh PU parts in the upcoming races.