Formula 1 - Are you getting enough?

Samantha Wilcox in her first article for enterf1.com

It was said by a famous drinks company (and, I'm sure, a philosopher or two) that good things come to those who wait; and, ironically, no-one seems to appreciate that more than fans of the world's fastest sport.

Having just come out of the annual three week break I'm sure I'm not the only one experiencing 'withdrawl symptoms' (increased sensitivity to engine noises, strong urges to organise chair races in the office - no? Just me?!) Despite the economic downturn there is also increased interest; for every track looking to withdraw from the calendar there's twice as many clamouring to jump on the F1 bandwagon. So increasing the number of races per season should be a relatively simple task right? Hmm...let's look at it in more detail.

Firstly there's that word that has become synonymous with Formula 1 in '09 - budget. More races doesn't just mean an increased traveling budget, costs increase in nearly every area from extra engines to additional fuel consumption. Of course additional races would mean increased coverage so sponsors could be leaned on especially since, depending upon the venue choices, more races also means whole new potential audiences. Many teams however, use the breaks between races to fulfill sponsorship commitments and would increased coverage compensate for a lack of such activity?

Also, whilst I'm sure many fans would be happy to dedicate every weekend to wheel-spinning action, could there be such a thing as an F1 saturation point? If not for fans than for teams and drivers, whilst their work never stops there is extra pressure brought around come race weekend (well race three days) which could begin to take its toll. Whilst many would argue that other sports handle multiple fixtures in a shorter season but it's difficult to see how F1 could change their dates; pre-March and post-November dates bring climate issues in many countries and would offer teams no significant respite.

Perhaps the answer lies not in constantly changing the venues but perhaps staging races midweek, the equivalent to 'friendly fixtures' in football these races wouldn't count towards the championships. They could feature a reduced qualifying and shorter race, could be staged days before the main event, cut-price tickets could be sold and they could be televised where possible.

What do you think? Are you happy to wait between races or can you just not get enough of your F1 fix?