Renault Sport managing director Cyril Abiteboul believes the Formula 1 calendar is already overloaded and should be reduced to improve the spectacle.
2018 has joined 2016 as the only seasons to see a 21-race schedule and since taking over leadership from Bernie Ecclestone, Liberty Media and CEO Chase Carey have mooted a 25-race season.
To cope with the return of France and Germany, this year has seen the first triple-header of Grands Prix, something that is likely not to be repeated as the Australian GP will be brought forward a week while Abu Dhabi is expected to be on December 1st in 2019.
The debate on the ideal calendar length has rumbled for years, with the impact it has on team personnel the main concern. However, Abiteboul believes too many events also negatively impacts the quality of the sport.
“We need to be able to engage with fans but it has to remain something special," he was quoted by PlanetF1. "We are already way above what should be the figure for something special.
“We need to convey a message of pride, of motivation, of energy. With the calendar that we have now, the enthusiasm is not the same as when we were only travelling 15 times per year.
“If we don’t have that energy, it is going to be very difficult to convey that externally."
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The Renault chief also believes the apparent lack of competition for race slots, with only possible races in Miami, Holland and Vietnam appearing like realistic prospects, means the current race organisers have too much influence.
“I appreciate the reason why, commercially we need to grow the calendar, but as far as I’m concerned, I would be for a massive contraction of the sport," Abiteboul said.
“If you were to go very aggressive and say 15 races, you have to tell the 21 races you have right now, ‘Look, guys, there are going to be six of you that will be dropped: compete'.
“You completely reverse the pattern of the market. It would be very interesting to see the reaction.
“I understand it would be a gamble, that it is not something within the current set-up of Formula 1, but at some point, there will be a crunch time and maybe we will see if we can switch the balance.”
