Todt plays down worries about 25 F1 races a year (Update)

Jean Todt says stop moaning about a long F1 calendar and count your blessings to be in F1

UPDATE (GMM) A mechanic at the small American team Haas has hit back at FIA president Jean Todt.

Last week, amid concerns about future calendars that could be as long as 25 races, Todt said most people involved in Formula 1 are "privileged".

"If you have a beloved family, they will understand. And you don't do it for all your life," the FIA president added.

But Robert Dob, a mechanic at Haas, suggested to the Russian edition of motorsport.com that Todt's comments show that he is out of touch.

"According to him, we should be glad that we do not see our children," Brazil's UOL Esporte quoted him as saying.

"This is outrageous," he added. "This is the opinion of a person who comes to the race on Friday and leaves on Sunday.

"He does not spend as much time at the track as we do. Many of us have been doing this for years, and finding another job is not easy."

01/23/20 (GMM) FIA president Jean Todt has played down concerns about F1's ever-expanding race calendar.

With many in the sport already unhappy about the unprecedentedly-long calendar for 2020, Liberty Media has negotiated a new cap of up to 25 races for the future.

Indeed, the F1 commercial rights holder is open about wanting to add Miami to the schedule, amid rumors of talks with Saudi Arabia and other potential new hosts.

But FIA president Todt is quoted as saying: "I think it will be a long process before being close to 25 races. At the moment we should concentrate on 22, which is the situation."

Todt indicated that he doesn't like the complaints about long F1 calendars affecting the quality of life of the people working in the sport.

"I really feel that, and I include myself, that we are so blessed to be in a world where we love what we do. We are privileged," he said. "Whoever is in F1 is privileged.

"Of course, you have some duties. When I was in other positions, I was working 18 hours every day, six or seven days a week, because I had passion and wanted a result," the former Ferrari team boss continued.

"Then of course, if you have a beloved family, they will understand. And you don't do it for all your life.

"Those who are in F1 have much higher salaries than other businesses, and they should be very happy. It doesn't mean that it's not hard work.

"But I do a lot of other activities and I see people, if they are blessed, getting $30 a month. So we should not forget that," Todt said.