2020 Formula 1 season could now start in June
Formula 1 could be looking at starting the 2020 season at Baku in June, Motorsport.com has learned, amid growing indications that coronavirus will disrupt events for months.
With the Australian Grand Prix having already been officially cancelled, the sport's chiefs are expected to confirm imminently that next weekend's Bahrain GP and the following event in Vietnam will now be postponed.
Sources have indicated that in the wake of the chaos in Melbourne, when a McLaren team member was diagnosed with coronavirus, a number of teams have already indicated that they will not be competing in Bahrain.
Vietnam's situation has also become untenable amid strict new travel restrictions that have been put in place as a result of the country's efforts to try to contain the coronavirus outbreak
But with growing indications that the global pandemic is only going to get worse in Europe over the next few weeks, F1 is now bracing itself for also calling off the Dutch, Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix.
That could mean F1 waiting until the Baku Grand Prix on June 7 for its first race, as it then tries to slot in a reduced calender thereafter.
F1 CEO Chase Carey said in Melbourne on Friday that amid the fast developing coronavirus situation, the sport was set for some tough talks about its next steps.
"At this point our focus really is dealing with the issues this weekend," he said. "Clearly, I just came in from Vietnam, so we are in discussion with partners on the upcoming races.
"I think at this point what we really want to do is make sure we deal with the issues here, deal with them properly.
"But in the coming days, clearly we will be addressing the events yet to come. It's a pretty difficult situation to really predict – everybody uses the word fluid, it is obviously a fluid situation.
"The situation today is different than it was two days ago, which is different than it was four days ago. So trying to look out and make those sorts of predictions when it's changing this quickly is challenging."
Asked where F1 personnel should be booking tickets to next, Carey said: "Everybody wants an answer and we'd love to have an answer. I think you can't force an answer to something that right now you don't have an answer to.
"I think we just have to continue doing what we're doing, reaching out to everybody, every expert, we can around the world.
"Clearly we're a global sport. And therefore, you know, we're not just dealing with a single country issue, we're dealing with an array of complexities. But I think we have to continue to deal with those as the situation evolves."
Previous article
Australian GP working on spectator refunds
Next article
Carey says F1 "made the right decisions" over Australian GP
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Author | Jonathan Noble |
Why Bottas feels the time has come to be “more selfish”
We’ve seen five distinct versions of Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes as he’s tried to fulfil his own ambitions while being a consummate team player – two difficult, competing missions which have been challenging to reconcile. Speaking exclusively to Stuart Codling, Bottas explains his highs and lows… and why he still believes he can be world champion.
How long can Verstappen and Hamilton keep it clean?
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have been evenly matched so far in the 2021 Formula 1 title race. Neither has been afraid to get aggressive against each other on track, teeing up an enthralling contest as the year unwinds. But how long will their battle remain clean? Jonathan Noble ponders that exact point
How Brabham’s one-hit wonder was boxed into a corner
The Brabham BT46B raced once, won once, then vanished – or did it? STUART CODLING reveals the story of the car which was never actually banned…
The changes Barcelona needs to provide a modern-day F1 spectacle
Formula 1’s visits to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya over recent years have been met with familiar criticisms despite tweaks here and there to the track to improve racing. With the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix largely going the same way, proper solutions need to be followed to achieve F1’s wider targets
Spanish Grand Prix Driver Ratings
Often described as Formula 1's laboratory, the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona gave the clearest demonstration yet of the pecking order in 2021. And it's the key discrepancies from that order which illuminate who is excelling, and who needs to hit the reset button.
How Red Bull's deja vu set Hamilton on the winning path in Spain
An aggressive first corner move from Max Verstappen appeared to have set the Red Bull driver on course for victory in the Spanish Grand Prix. But canny strategy from Mercedes - combined with the absence of Red Bull's number two from the lead group - allowed Lewis Hamilton to pull off a demoralising reversal
The Barcelona practice times that prove Red Bull has hidden pace
Lewis Hamilton led the way in Friday practice for the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix, but there was one major encouraging sign for Red Bull. However, making good on that gain will require Max Verstappen to avoid repeating a mistake that left him well down the FP2 order...
Why McLaren doesn’t doubt Ricciardo can escape his ‘dark’ place
Three points finishes from as many starts represents a decent opening innings on paper, but Daniel Ricciardo has endured a tough start to his McLaren career - only magnified his teammate's excellent form. Yet both he and the team have good reason to expect a turnaround soon.
