FINALLY! Formula 1 confirms return for first 8 races of the 2020 season
After weeks of speculations of having 2 (or more) races in both Austria and UK, F1 has finally taken the wraps of their latest schedule which starts from July 3rd.
Formula 1 has finally confirmed today that the 2020 season will begin in Austria from next month. It also revealed details on the first eight races of a new calendar specific to the 2020 season. This is all an end result of the global pandemic of COVID-19 that caused a chaos around the globe. From falling economies to falling population, COVID-19 has truly shown us that we cannot take anything for granted.
After F1 racing was put on hold because of the coronavirus outbreak, F1, the teams and the FIA have been working tirelessly to put together a plan to allow the 2020 season to begin safely. Today though, F1 chief executive Chase Carey outlined the first part of a revised race calendar and there are TWO back to back races in this calendar.
The season will kick off with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on July 5, followed a week later by a second race at the same track. The Hungarian Grand Prix at the famous Hungaroring will follow a week after that, before a break. There will then be two back to back races at Silverstone, followed by the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona. Here, take a look at the calendar:
Due to the ongoing fluidity of the COVID-19 situation internationally, Formula 1 will be finalizing the details of the full calendar for the entire 2020 season with hopes to publish it in the coming weeks. There is an internal expectation of having a total of 15-18 races before finishing this season in December, unlike every year when season finishes in November.
F1 currently expects the opening races to be fully closed events with no spectators. This is like every other sport is going to be following which also appears to be the need of the hour. Although, F1 hopes that fans will be able to attend again when it is safe to do so. The health and safety of everyone involved will continue to be the high value priority, with Formula 1 and the FIA following a robust and detailed plan to ensure that all the races maintain the highest level of safety with strict procedures in place.
In fact, F1 has mentioned the following 5 steps they intend to follow to ensure that it is as safe as possible to continue the racing event:
1. Regular Testing
2. Closed Events
3. Minimal Personnel
4. Isolated Travel
5. Social Distancing (Obviously)
While all the above points are very much self explanatory still, if you want to read details about them, click here.
