Red Bull chief calls for BAN as F1 future discussed

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has suggested that some tracks on the Formula 1 calendar should be 'banned'.

Marko has worked with the Red Bull team since their inception in the sport back in 2005, and has overseen eight drivers' championships courtesy of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, and six constructors' titles.

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Since 2005, F1 has grown exponentially, thanks in part to the takeover of the sport by Liberty Media back in 2017.

Marko has seen the sport grow into what it is today, with the 2024 season being the longest season in the sport's history, featuring 24 grands prix across 21 different countries.

Marko questions F1 calendar length

Marko revealed at the start of last season that he would be missing a few races in 2024, due to the demands of the jam-packed calendar, but oversaw yet another successful season for Red Bull.

Verstappen sealed his fourth consecutive championship victory, despite Red Bull's struggles in the teams' standings, with the Dutchman claiming nine victories across the season.

The increasing length of the F1 season, mixed with the supreme dominance of Verstappen in the last few seasons, has seen the Dutchman rise up to third in the all-time list of race victories.

However, Marko believes that the current length of the calendar isn't sustainable, and suggested that some tracks may need to be banished from the calendar altogether.

"If we want to keep those twenty-four races on the Formula 1 calendar, the order really has to be better," Marko told Austrian broadcast ORF.

"You have the traditional European races, but also completely new grands prix. They may provide spectacle, but they lack a certain culture around motorsport.

"Spa and Monza, for example, do have that culture. So we have to try to keep a bit of a balance. But if you ask me, more grands prix should be banned, especially when you look at the workload. Or we have to work with two line-ups."

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