Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, has admitted that 24 races next season will simply be too much for the team to attend every one of them, so he will need to start taking some time off.
A record 24-race calendar was announced for 2023 two weeks ago, and it has drawn criticism from fans around the world, as well as those within Formula 1.
Teams will be required to travel far and wide next year, in a season that will see them flying over three thousand kilometres, without flying home between grand prix weekends.
It will take its toll on team members, as well as the environment, and Wolff fears that this will be difficult for him to maintain.
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“I will start to skip a few races, the whole team needs to look at it,” he said, as per the Mirror.
“It is not sustainable for anyone to do 24 races. The drivers have to, but we start on Monday in the office and go through until the end of the week.”
The 50-year-old is comfortable that there is a range of alternative key figures within the structure that he can call upon to replace him when he needs some time off.
“We need to find a solution, and I think the race team will skip a few races every year in order to survive, there are a few individuals that can take over some of my tasks,” added Wolff.
The Austrian, who is a one-third shareholder in the Mercedes team, confirmed that he would still be involved in the team’s schedule over the course of a race weekend.
“Not physically being at the race meeting doesn’t mean that I am not at the race,” explained Wolff.
“I have a full intercom setup, there is a race support room at the factory, and I will be part of every single debriefing. I just won’t be there physically.”
It was initially reported that Wolff may decide to fly back to Brackley after the Singapore Grand Prix and oversee the race in Japan this weekend from back at base.
However, the Silver Arrows are in need of a bounce-back after a disappointing evening under the lights, so PA have suggested that the boss has changed his mind, and will be attending after all.
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Sir Lewis Hamilton finished ninth at Marina Bay after crashing into the wall, while two separate incidents for George Russell saw him finish 14th having started from the pit lane.
The eight-time champions’ deficit to Ferrari in the battle for second in the championship has expanded to 66 points as a legacy of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finishing second and third, respectively.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez won the race, while Max Verstappen finished seventh in a disappointing result, but he is still on course to wrap up his second title this weekend in Suzuka.