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An Intense Year for Formula 1 Comes to an End

Races were squeezed into a tighter schedule, but the good news for teams is that the season is finishing earlier than last year.

With the end of the Formula 1 season fast approaching, George Russell of Mercedes celebrated after winning the penultimate race, the São Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil.Credit...Marcelo Chello/Associated Press

Formula 1 will race for the final time this year on Sunday as Abu Dhabi hosts the 22nd Grand Prix of the season.

It matches the record number of races from last year, but this season was squeezed into eight months, instead of the almost nine last season, the opening race taking place on March 20. It has made for an intense year.

It will be the earliest finish to a Formula 1 season since 2010, which also ended in Abu Dhabi, on Nov. 14. Last season did not end until Dec. 12, leaving little time for teams to debrief before taking time off for Christmas.

“I’m happy to finish earlier,” said Fernando Alonso, a driver for Alpine. “Last year we finished very late. It was way too close to Christmas. I’m happy now with this year; it’s good always to have extra time.”

Officials wanted to avoid clashing with the FIFA World Cup, which starts on Nov. 20.

The early finish will give everyone working in Formula 1 more time off this winter. The first race of 2023 is scheduled for March 5, allowing drivers the chance to relax. Many will spend time in training camps to improve their fitness, or working with teams to understand their new cars that undergo changes each year to make them quicker. But time at home with family is what they crave most after such a busy year.

“I’m happy to have a bit of time to spend with the family, and to recover and recharge,” said Sergio Pérez of Red Bull. “It has been an intense season as well with a lot of races. I’m looking forward to a bit of rest.”

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Russell started the São Paulo Grand Prix in pole position, immediately followed by his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished the race in second place.Credit...Chris Graythen/Getty Images

But the engineers and mechanics who help design and run the cars also need a break. Many of them will have been at every race this year, often working longer hours than the drivers. The winter will give them a chance to spend time with their families before returning for the new season.

“It’s very welcome,” said Alan Permane, the sporting director of Alpine. “Last year was really tough, finishing the week before Christmas.

“We’ll come back from Abu Dhabi, we’ll spend the week after in the factory sorting things out and have a relatively easy week there, and then disappear for three or four weeks and have a good break.”

Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, said “everyone is really at the limit.” That has prompted discussions between the F.I.A., the governing body of Formula 1, and the teams to enforce a winter shutdown as part of the rules next year, meaning staff members would have to take two weeks off through the winter when no work would be allowed.

“I very much hope that we can do that for our staff,” Wolff said of a winter break. “For the race team that’s clocking many airline miles, that’s a positive.”

He said there would still be staff members working “flat out between Christmas and New Year” this December to get the Mercedes car ready for 2023. The same will be true for all teams. But as there is less of a change to cars for next year, redesigns won’t be significant.

“Last year was particularly difficult with a new car,” said Andreas Seidl, the team principal of McLaren. “One season just rolled straight into the next, and on the engineering side there really wasn’t much of a break. You can’t do that year after year.”

Protecting time off will be even more important next year, when Formula 1 plans to hold 24 races. But Formula 1 will still end the season in November, holding the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the 26th.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari said he preferred a “very packed season, starting late and finishing early.” His sporting director, Laurent Mekies, said the calendar was “very well done for next year” by ensuring that it still finished in November.

“Everybody will need to recharge, the team members and the drivers, getting ready for two more next year,” Mekies said. “If you add that with the enthusiasm that we see out there with the fans, and all the energy around the races, we are all going to go and rest, recharge and come back excited for next year.”

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 13 in The New York Times International Edition. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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