Bernie Ecclestone says Formula 1 is being “devalued” by adding more races

Former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes that F1 is being “devalued” with the addition of more races to the calendar, stating that the sport could be supersaturated and “16 races are enough”.

The current F1 calendar features 21 races and in 2020 will be bumped up to a record 22 with the addition of the Vietnamese and Dutch Grands Prix, dropping the German GP.
 
24 races are scheduled to potentially span across the year by 2021 but the Former F1 chief feels that with the addition of so many races over the years the sport is losing its value.
 
Ecclestone told Auto Motor und Sport: “[24 races is] Definitely too much. 16 races are enough. 
 
“The more races there are, the more the product is devalued. 
 
“We have already experienced this supersaturation in tennis. There are 100 tournaments, but not even ten matter.
 
“If there are only 16 races, the organizers have to pay more accordingly. 
 
“And they will do it. Because their event is all the more valuable due to the shortage of the Grands Prix.”
 
2021 is set to have a big change for F1 with a large overhaul of the regulations in an attempt to create closer racing across the grid with changes to aerodynamics and the introduction of a budget cap.
 
But Ecclestone feels the budget cap isn’t necessary if the regulations are “well written” and if there is a change it should be a dramatic one such as going back to aspirated engines.
 
“The last races were like Formula One should be,” he added.
 
“If it stays that way then I do not see any problem with it becoming as popular again as it used to be.

“I see no reason for big change. If so, then you would have to change something dramatically. For example, back to naturally aspirated engines. But there's no courage.
 
“We do not need a budget cap. If the technical regulations are well written, there is no reason for it.
 
“It just has to be ensured that it is not necessary to invest a lot of money in the lap time. Then it does not matter how much money the teams spend.