Charles Leclerc sympathizes with team members as he urges FIA to draw the line at 24 F1 races in a calendar year

Charles Leclerc believes Formula One has hit its peak number of races, raising worries over staff well-being if the FIA were to add any more races to the future calendar.

Formula One's popularity has grown all over the world owing to Netflix's docu-series Drive to Survive. With growing popularity, the FIA is looking to increase the number of races to cover as many countries as possible.

Charles Leclerc has joined Red Bull's Max Verstappen in expressing his concerns about how difficult the schedule has become for F1 employees due to the 2024 calendar's numerous logistical challenges, including triple headers.

When asked about his thoughts on 2024's 24-race calendar, Leclerc said "no more" races should be added.

"One side of me understands. It's not easy if you put yourself in the shoes of Formula 1, we have a sport that is booming, and it's great to have that. We are very lucky to have that," he said (via Autosport).

He continued:

"At the same time, I feel like at one point, it just gets too much. Not for us drivers, because we have a really good life. And I think the drivers that are complaining probably don't realise that the mechanics, the engineers, the guys on the logistics are here three days before us and leave two days after. I think for them, it starts to be quite a bit."

Leclerc also stated that if individual grad prix are to be held every year, then they might lose their appeal and excitement.

Even two-time world champion Max Verstappen voiced his concern over the increased number of races and the tight schedule for the team members during long race weekends.

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Charles Leclerc wishes for lighter cars with 'impressive' downforce

For the 2026 regulations, Charles Leclerc feels F1 can strike a reasonable balance between reduced weight and "very impressive" downforce levels.

F1 cars in 2023 are about 800 kgs. Back in the 1990s or even in the early 2000s, the maximum weight of F1 cars was around or even under 600 kg. Thanks to the turbo-hybrid era, the weight of cars keeps on increasing with changes in new regulations.

The Ferrari driver wished that the FIA could reduce the weight of the cars while keeping an "impressive" downforce level.

"I don't like heavy cars. I think for the agility of the car and for also the low-speed corners, now you can really feel the weight," he said (via Autosport).

Charles Leclerc believes teams will continue to find ways to improve as the regulations become more established, despite finding the current F1 ground-effect cars "more unpredictable" to drive.