The coronavirus pandemic and the imposed truce have raised a host of questions in Formula 1 (and in the world of sport in general). One of them is how to keep 15 to 18 Grand Prix in half a season, while limiting travel as much as possible, in a context where the health situation will not be completely resolved anyway? F1 has proposed a solution: organize Grands Prix on European circuits where normally there should not have been.
Already candidates
Formula One group CEO Chase Carey explained that he and his teams were thinking of a “provisional” 2020 calendar, with new circuits on the program. “We have two main challenges to face: identifying the destinations where we can organize a race and determining how to get all the players and their equipment on site. We are in discussion with all our promoters as well as with tracks that are not currently on the calendar. We want to make sure we explore all of the options. Imola (formerly Grand Prix of San Marino), Portimão (Portugal), which has never hosted a Grand Prix but recently obtained FIA certification to be able to host it, and Hockenheim (which hosts the Grand Prix of Germany, absent from the 2020 program), have already volunteered.
Another track: organize several races on the same circuit. If the season starts off well with the Austrian Grand Prix on July 5, the Red Bull ring could host a second round the following weekend.
However, the races will take place, at least for Austria, Hungary and the United Kingdom, behind closed doors. This means an additional financial loss for F1, which recently released a half-masted financial picture.
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