Lewis Hamilton welcomed the recent finalisation of a 17-race Formula 1 calendar in 2020.
Due to the impact of Covid-19, only eight Grands Prix were initially announced back in June as the sport looked to get back on track in Austria.
Since then, however, a further nine rounds have been added, including five venues that were initially not on the schedule such as Nurburgring, Imola and Istanbul, and a double-header in Bahrain which will see the second race run on the oval-like Outer Circuit.
All that will take us to a conclusion in Abu Dhabi on December 13 and Hamilton hopes the extended schedule can help improve this year’s championship.
“I’m grateful for the fact we have so many races being set up because I want it to be a Championship,” he said last weekend.
“I want it to be a fight. If you look at the success and progress Red Bull have made over the years they usually get stronger through the season, so hopefully it will become a closer fight as we get through.
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“This is the most intense season we’ll ever experience with so many races in such a short space of time and it will be a real challenge,” he added.
“I’m really conscious of all the guys (in the team) that are just on the road for as long as they are – they get here before us.
“As a driver, just being able to deliver weekend in, weekend out is physically more demanding this year, being that we normally have a decent recovery period whereas (this year) it’s ‘bang, bang, bang, bang’.
“And then how we utilise our equipment this year, I think that will be a massive challenge.”
Though the calendar is still five races less than originally planned, should at least 15 take place, it will help F1 somewhat financially as full TV broadcasting revenue will come in.
And anything that helps keep the sport healthy economically is all the more welcomed by Hamilton.
“I think we are so fortunate to be able to go to work – so many people don’t have that and some people have obviously lost their jobs as well,” added the six-time world champion.
“It’s such a testing time for so many. Luckily, work gets me by. These are the good days, the ones in between are a little bit trickier.
“I think when you are at the races and you don’t see any fans as well, you feel a little bit removed from that contact.
“Also just in travelling, normally you’re at events, you’re with the team, you’re interacting with so many people and I’ve interacted with less people this year than in probably my entire life, which makes it tricky.
“Every day I’m just trying to remind myself to be grateful – to be healthy, to have my job, to be able to still do what we do.”
