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Formula 1 has announced the first eight races of its revised 2020 calendar which will, for the first time, have two championship races at the same circuit and be held behind closed doors.
After the Australian season-opener in March was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the season is now set to start with two championship races at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on July 5 and July 12. This will be followed by the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 19 before taking a two-week break.
Chase Carey, chairman and chief executive of Formula 1, said: “In the past weeks we have been working tirelessly with all our partners, the FIA and the teams to create a revised opening 2020 calendar allowing us to restart racing in the safest possible way.”
The following two races will be held at the Silverstone circuit in UK on August 2 and August 9. Silverstone, which hosted the first ever Formula 1 race in 1950, will be the stage for the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix on August 9.
The 10 teams will then travel to Spain to race in the Aramco Barcelona Grand Prix on August 16 before wrapping up the European leg with races in Belgium and Italy on August 30 and September 6.
Chase added: “We are pleased to be able to set out our opening eight race calendar and look forward to publishing our full calendar in the coming weeks.
“While we currently expect the season to commence without fans at our races we hope that over the coming months the situation will allow us to welcome them back once it is safe to do, but we know the return of Formula 1 will be a welcome boost to sports fans around the world.”
Formula 1 anticipates that it will be having a total of 15-18 races this season, including Bahrain, wrapping up the season in Abu Dhabi in December.
Since the cancellation of the Australia race after the McLaren Racing Team pulled out because one of its members tested positive for Covid-19, the FIA and Formula 1 have been developing guidelines to allay health concerns.
There will be rigorous testing before travelling to each destination, followed by tests every two days. While global sport has started to return, Formula 1 is particularly challenging considering the number of people involved and the inability to ensure social distancing, especially during pit stops.
Carey noted: “An individual having been found with a positive infection will not lead to a cancellation of a race. We encourage teams to have procedures in place so if an individual has to be put in quarantine, we have the ability to quarantine them at a hotel and to replace that individual.”
Diehard Diecasts
With major motorsport events postponed because of the global Covid-19 pandemic, sports fans are turning to unusual avenues to satisfy their competitive cravings.
One of the more eclectic entertainment is die-cast toy car racing on custom-built downhill tracks, 1:64-scale scenery, and professional timing equipment to accurately determine the winners.
Adriel Johnson, who runs the YouTube channel 3dbotmaker, organises races, accompanying them with delightfully campy commentary and scintillating sound-effects.
Nowhere else will you see an Aston Martin Vulcan racing against a Chevrolet SSR. Check out 3dbotmaker on YouTube to ‘minimise’ your thirst for motorsport.
