F1 teams fear burnout from expanded calendar

By Alan Baldwin

SILVERSTONE (Reuters) - Formula One team bosses expressed concern on Saturday about the risk of burnout to mechanics when the calendar expands to 19 races next year without an August break.

"I think the absence of the August break in the calendar next year is very tough. It really is tough on the mechanics," said McLaren executive Martin Whitmarsh at the British Grand Prix.

"It worries me how hard it is going to be on the teams but I think that's a management challenge; how we're going to deal with that and make sure we don't burn people out during the course of the season," he added.

The 2009 provisional calendar, issued last week, has the Turkish Grand Prix on August 9 followed by the European Grand Prix in Valencia on August 23.

This year, with 18 races, there is a gap between Hungary on August 3 and Valencia on August 24.

Abu Dhabi will make its debut next year as the closing event in November after four other long-haul races in succession in Singapore, Japan, China and Brazil.

All of the 10 teams are based in Europe, with the majority in Britain.

"The August break was introduced as a means of genuinely giving everyone a rest in the middle of tough seasons," said Honda team principal Ross Brawn.