Corona crisis in racing: Formula 1 advises on ghost races - Will driving again in July?

The corona virus has so far paralyzed Formula 1. Does the racing season start with the Canadian GP? Clarity should soon prevail.

• The new Formula 1 season should start on March 15th .
• Now it is clear: The first eight races have been canceled .
• Is the start of the season now at the Canadian GP? Or is the season canceled?
  
  
  Update from April 6, 2020: The millions are no longer bubbling, teams may be on the verge of bankruptcy, the start of the season is a long way off - and so obviously the otherwise dazzling Formula 1 in the corona crisis is considering unusual measures. Namely: ghost races .

  Formula 1 boss Chase Carey is currently "seriously" considering a scenario in which world champion Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari star Sebastian Vettel and Co. fight for championship points without fans, reports the BBC.

  Another topic at a crisis video conference between the team bosses, Carey and World Association President Jean Todt: the budget limit. In order to save racing teams from bankruptcy, the cost recovery applicable from the 2021 season could be further reduced - from $ 175 million (around € 161 million) a year to $ 150 million. According to corresponding media reports, Ferrari in particular is said to have resisted restricting the sum to as much as $ 125 million.

  The most realistic entry - possibly closed to the public - is the Great Price of Great Britain in Silverstone (July 19). Seven of the ten teams operate their factories around the traditional racetrack, and travel - and thus the risk of infection - would be kept within limits.
  

  Corona paralyzes Formula 1: Ecclestone for cancellation of the entire season

  Update of April 4, 2020: Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has spoken out in favor of a complete cancellation of this year's Formula 1 season due to the corona crisis. "We should end the season this year and hopefully start again next year," said the 89-year-old on the BBC radio show "5 Live Sport Specials" on Saturday. "I don't see how it should be possible to get the necessary number of races this year."

  In view of the corona virus pandemic , the first eight of the originally planned 22 races of the 2020 motorsport premier class had been canceled or postponed. Ecclestone's successor as Formula 1 managing director, Chase Carey, plans with 15 to 18 events in a revised calendar. "It's a difficult situation," said Ecclestone, who was Formula 1 boss for around 40 years until 2017.

  Formula 1: question mark about the start of the season in Canada - Vettel thinks about the end of his career

  
  Update of March 25, 2020: Do Formula 1 cars start the racing season with the Canadian Grand Prix on June 14, or will the start be postponed for another week? Because of the ongoing Corona crisis, there is still a lack of clarity, but a vague deadline has now been set for when a decision should be made.

In three weeks at the latest, it should be clear whether the season opener can take place in Canada or whether another race will be canceled after eight races have been canceled. Organizer Francois Dumontier told the online portal "Motorsport-Total.com": "We are optimistic, but also realistic."

Should there be a further shift, this will be a joint decision with Formula 1 after the Easter weekend on 12/13. April .

Dumontier could also rule out postponing the Canadian Grand Prix to October, as it was simply too cold during this time.

Formula One wanted to complete 22 races this season, more than ever before. After the outbreak of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, the makers of the series are currently planning 15 to 18 races. There are no further details on a revised calendar.

Vettel thinks of the end of his career and talks about Corona: "Formula 1 not the center of the universe"

Update from March 22nd: Sebastian Vettel commented on the Corona crisis and said that he no longer only looks at it as a racing driver. "It would be ignorant to think that Formula One is the center of the universe. It's not all about Formula One. Having three children and a certain age helps me to classify that," said the four-time world champion: "New interests develop. You just mature over time."

The 32-year-old Ferrari driver also spoke about a possible career end. "Of course I think about it. Realistically, I won't be here in ten years," said Vettel in an interview with motorsport-total.com .

However, this does not mean that "I get up every morning and wonder what I will do in five years. I am very relaxed about this," he emphasized. But he already has "a few ideas".

Update from March 21 at 12:40 p.m .:

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has rejected concerns about his health. Regarding speculation about a possible infection with the corona virus, the 35-year-old wrote on Twitter on Saturday: “I wanted to let you know that I am fine, that I feel healthy, and train twice a day. I have zero symptoms . "

The British racing driver had been at an event with actors Idris Elba and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, just over two weeks ago. Both later announced that they were infected with Sars-CoV-2 . Hamilton therefore got in touch with his doctor and checked whether he should take a corona test.

"But the truth is that only a limited number of them are available, and there are people who need it more than I do, especially if I don't show any symptoms at all," wrote the Mercedes driver.

He went into self-isolation last week. "The most important thing is that everyone stays positive, as far as possible from a distance, isolates himself if necessary, and washes his hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds," added Hamilton.

Formula 1: drivers virtually compete against each other

Update from March 20, 4.45 p.m .: Formula 1 fans should get their money's worth, even if the races have been canceled up to and including May due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix series, “a number of current Formula 1 drivers” are now to compete virtually against one another, it said in a message on Friday.

It should start this Sunday (9:00 p.m. / CET) when the Bahrain Grand Prix would actually take place in the Sakhir desert. Half a race distance (28 laps) is driven by video game, before there is a qualification. The total duration should be around 90 minutes. The races will be broadcast on the Formula 1 homepage, the series' YouTube channel and on Facebook.

The next virtual races will then also start on Sundays on which a Grand Prix was planned. The campaign is currently scheduled to run until the end of May. If the following races could not take place afterwards due to the spread of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, it would be extended.

It will be announced shortly which pilots will compete in the first virtual race. There is not much time left until Sunday.

Four races canceled - drastic demand from Ferrari

Update from March 19, 4:20 p.m .: The coronavirus pandemic continues to shake up the Formula 1 calendar . As the motorsport premier class announced on Thursday, the planned races in the Netherlands (May 3), Spain (May 10) and Monaco (May 24) will also be postponed. The season opener will take place on June 7th in Azerbaijan at the earliest. Never in history has a season started.

After the planned start of the season in Australia last week, the races in Bahrain (March 22), the debut in Vietnam (April 5) and the China GP (April 19) were canceled due to the corona crisis. As Formula 1 also announced, options are being considered to make up for the races later in the year if possible.

Update of March 19, 12.17 p.m .: Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto (50) pleads in the course of the corona crisis for a shift in the new rules in Formula 1 planned for the 2021 season.

"We have to carefully consider whether it might not make more sense to wait until 2022 to launch the new cars," said Binotto

formula1.com

in the run-up to a conference call between the team bosses and the management of the premier class.

Ferrari is "definitely ready to take responsibility for a decision that must be made in the interest of sport," said Binotto: "This is not a time of selfishness and tactics."

Formula 1 had actually already adopted comprehensive new regulations for 2021. This should increase equal opportunities and lead to more tension on the track. Basically, the bolides should be technically simplified significantly.

The corona pandemic is also currently shaking up Formula 1 plans. The first four races of the season have already been canceled, and the race in Zandvoort / Netherlands is also to be canceled, according to media reports.

Most recently, the World Automobile Federation (FIA) had moved the summer break forward, thereby creating the opportunity to rearrange the calendar. Accordingly, the summer break originally planned for July and August is brought forward to March and April and also expanded from 14 to 21 days.

Formula 1 canceled: Corona prevents four races - gloomy scenario possible

1:44 p.m .: The cars will not be released from the garage that quickly: Formula 1 has officially confirmed that the first three races of the new season will not take place. Australia , Bahrain , Vietnam - every single Grand Prix has been postponed to an unknown date. The race in China was canceled several weeks ago.

Due to the continued global spread of COVID-19 and after ongoing discussions with the FIA, and race organizers a decision has been taken by all parties to postpone the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Vietnam Grand Prix due to take place on March 20-22 and April 3-5 respectively # F1 pic.twitter.com/btpFLckwtO

Formula 1 start canceled! Expert draws dark scenario: "Believe that at the earliest ..."

Update of March 13, 5.51 a.m .: The start of the Formula 1 season in Melbourne , which was planned for Sunday, was canceled on Friday due to a corona fall in the paddock . This was announced by the World Automobile Federation FIA , the premier class and the promoter of the Australian Grand Prix . Formula 1 reacted to the positive test of a mechanic from the McLaren team , who had therefore already announced his retirement from the Grand Prix on Thursday evening.

Formula 1 and the FIA, with the full support of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC), have taken the decision that all Formula 1 activity for the Australian Grand Prix is ​​canceled pic.twitter.com/rHbc7hlNvH

However, a chaotic night passed before the decision to cancel the race, on Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. (local time) tens of thousands of fans were already at the gates of the track at Albert Park and hoped in vain to get in. The first free practice session was supposed to begin two hours later.

Formula 1 canceled: chaotic conditions in Melbourne

After the discussions on Friday night, "a majority of the teams believed that the race should not take place," the statement said. However, it was not so clear among the racing teams. The smaller teams and Red Bull in particular would have liked to compete, but Mercedes and Ferrari officially announced that they were in favor of the cancellation. The customer teams would also have lacked the support of their respective engine suppliers.

So it was that in the morning there was also uncertainty among the teams. "We got up, drove to the track and didn't yet know where the journey was going," said Günter Steiner, team principal of the Haas racing team. The race was only canceled after further discussions and advice from the local health authority.

Formula 1 canceled: Australia race probably just the beginning

It is also still unclear how things will go in Formula 1 . The second Grand Prix next weekend in Bahrain (March 22) was already planned as a ghost race without spectators, but given the new location, it now seems highly unlikely.

"At first we only looked after Australia, we will decide in the next few weeks in the coming weeks," said Formula 1 boss Chase Carey on Friday afternoon during a chaotic press conference.

Red Bulls motorsport consultant Helmut Marko already sees the event in the desert as canceled, "I think we will have a race in Baku at the earliest". That would be June 7th.

Vietnam (April 5) was on the agenda after Bahrain , and there was a question mark behind this race anyway. The fourth race in China (originally April 19) had already been canceled in February, after which the races in Zandvoort (May 3), Barcelona (May 10) and Monaco (May 24) are on the calendar.

Formula 1: positive corona test! Apparently not just Grand Prix in Melbourne before cancellation

10:35 p.m .: The German trade magazine Auto, Motor und Sport also reports that those responsible for Formula 1 had decided to cancel the season opener in Melbourne at short notice . An official statement from the world motorsport association FIA and Formula 1 owner Liberty Media is expected shortly. The second race of the season in Bahrain, planned for a week after the Melbourne Grand Prix on March 22, is also threatened by the cancellation.

According to media reports, those responsible for Formula 1 discussed the current situation together with the Grand Prix organizers on Friday morning (local time). Accordingly, the local organizers decided to continue at least with the Formula 1 supporting program this weekend . The TV station "ABC News" showed pictures of many fans who were waiting at the gates at the Albert Park Circuit for admission.

Formula 1: positive corona test! Kick-off race in Melbourne apparently canceled

8:49 pm: After the withdrawal for the Formula 1 start in Australia, McLaren driver Lando Norris emphasized the need for the momentous decision. "We did everything we can to limit the spread, and of course that affected me to surround myself with as few people as possible," said the 20-year-old Englishman in Melbourne. "My only thoughts are with the team and everyone who combats it in the world."

According to Norris, he is "devastated" not to be able to drive in Melbourne on Sunday. The most important thing now is that everyone is healthy . McLaren had decided to withdraw from the Grand Prix a few hours earlier, after a first coronavirus case had been confirmed by team principal Andreas Seidl at the racing team. McLaren took this as a precaution.

5:05 pm: The Formula 1 race in Melbourne is apparently postponed . The reason is said to be the corona virus. The BBC reports. The season opener in Formula 1 should therefore take place at a later date. So far, however, there is no official confirmation.

12:34: Unfortunately it was almost to be feared: The Formula 1 season opener in Melbourne is now about to be canceled . The British racing team McLaren withdraws its team. The reason: An employee was tested positive for Corona.

McLaren Racing withdraws from the 2020 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. pic.twitter.com/BZvHVKQoev

The McLaren mechanic affected had complained of flu-like symptoms upon arrival in Australia and was subsequently tested for Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus. The positive result was then available on Thursday evening (local time in Australia).

The good news: the four other suspected cases in the paddock, all of them employed by the Haas team , gave the all-clear.

Formula 1: Corona suspected cases before the start of the season - World Champion Hamilton rages

Update of March 12 : Events around the world are being canceled due to the corona virus *. Sports have also been hit long ago. Maybe the Euro 2020 will also be canceled? In the meantime there are also the first infected people in the NBA, football professionals have long been caught.

How does Formula 1 react? As has now become known, five suspected cases have been reported in the Melbourne paddock. The US team in Haas alone has four employees, one in McLaren . One waits impatiently for the results of the tests.

Formula 1: season opener despite corona virus? Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel criticize

World champion Lewis Hamilton sharply criticized the launch of the Formula 1 start in Australia. "I am very, very surprised that we are here," said the defending champion on Thursday in the face of the coronavirus crisis. "I think it's great that we can have races, but it's shocking to me that we all sit in this room." It seems to him that the rest of the world is reacting. Only in Formula 1 no decision is made.

Sebastian Vettel * said: “It is very difficult to make a fair judgment. As Lewis said, it's fair to ask why you're here. ” Formula One continues to wait. She wants to run this race just as badly as the local organizer, to whom the Grand Prix should bring a lot of money. The state of Victoria is said to have had the spectacle alone cost around 60 million Australian dollars, which is the equivalent of around 35 million euros. "Money rules the world," Hamilton said at the press conference when asked why the race was held. "To be honest, I don't know."

Formula 1: opening races in Melbourne at risk due to corona virus? Suspected cases reported

First message from March 11: Melbourne - Before the start of the Formula 1 * season in Australia, there is concern about the spread of the coronavirus * in the paddock. As early as Wednesday, four team members in Melbourne were suspected.

Haas , McLaren and Williams employees have been tested for the virus due to typical symptoms and will remain in their hotel rooms until further clarification. There have been no confirmed cases. Drivers or management staff are not affected.

Formula 1 in Melbourne: Live ticker from the opening race - worries about corona virus

Formula 1 * does not pick up speed on the busy media day until Thursday, when all drivers usually appear as part of the usually crowded press rounds. On Wednesday, however, media events for the Red Bull and Renault racing teams were only shortened or with a minimum distance in order to "take no unnecessary risks".

Mercedes vs Red Bull ⚔️

Whose approach will bear the most fruit in 2020? # F1https: //t.co/UxMdpzTskB

After the race on Sunday, which should take place without any real impairments, Formula 1 * will travel straight to Bahrain . The first ghost race in the history of the premier class is scheduled to take place there on March 22. Due to the spread of the corona virus *, it was decided last weekend to exclude the audience.

Formula 1: Live ticker from the opening race in Melbourne - Coronavirus? There should be no impairments

Recently there had been trouble among the racing teams - because of Ferrari and the FIA . You can find all the highlights of the kick-off race in Melbourne here in our live ticker.

The first effects of the corona virus * can already be felt in football. Will the EM 2020 be canceled? A club owner has now admitted that he is infected. One of his teams still played at Bayern in autumn.

Ex-Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone becomes a father for the fourth time at the age of 89. His Brazilian wife Fabiana (41) is pregnant.

* tz.de and Merkur.de are part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network

akl / sid

List of rubric lists: © dpa / Valdrin Xhemaj