Optimistic plans to resume the Chinese Grand Prix for the first time since 2019 were met with a widely predicted collapse, creating a long-running gap between the rounds in Australia and Azerbaijan.

Typically, there is a similarly large window between games that allow for most paddock breaks during the traditional August summer break.

But with this year’s schedule growing to a record 23 races and plans to add extra qualifying sessions to the sprint weekend, team bosses believe championship organizers should consider repeating the downtime to help maintain their workforce.

Szafnauer thinks this could be the “way forward” for F1, saying: “This break, while not planned, is nice to have a three-week period in a schedule with 23 races and a lot of back-to-backs and three-peats. It’s – off now, three weeks off in August, and off on Christmas.

“Maybe with luck we learn (from an unplanned trial run in 2023) that it’s a good thing to do it this way.

“Maybe it should be designed in the future. I know the season has just started, but it’s not just the start of the season, because a lot of people have been working hard all winter, getting the car ready for testing, then the races, and now a little bit of a break, Here’s what’s going on to help you.

“And then in August, you have another break. That could be a way forward.”

Interview with Alpine F1 Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer

Photography: Simon Galloway / motorsport pictures

Haas team boss Gunther Steiner believes the disrupted schedule has not changed his team’s plans to introduce car upgrades, which have already been scheduled for a long time.

He did, however, echo Szafnauer’s comments that after the Belgian Grand Prix on July 30, the interlude could allow team personnel to recharge ahead of the mostly European summer break.

Steiner said: “Our development program was set beforehand and this break didn’t really make a difference because the race team wasn’t working on the development of the car, but it was more for the race team.

“To have a chance to rest because the rest of the season is going to be tough.

“I just said to the players, ‘take it easy for these three weeks and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do’.

“The development is ongoing. It was planned last year, something we’re working on, but obviously it helps when you don’t have to bring it to China. If you have some plans for China, you have more More time to make it better and more prepared, and the stats after the first game.

“But the most important thing is that the players should relax a little bit and prepare for the tough times of the season.”