Drastic changes in store

F1 chiefs ready to stage two races on the same weekend to help deal with Covid-19 chaos

FORMULA ONE pundits Martin Brundle and Karun Chandhok can see Chase Carey arranging double-header race weekends at tracks including Silverstone as they scramble to deliver a 2020 season.

The coronavirus pandemic has seen the opening eight Grands Prix of the campaign called off and doubts surround the Canadian Grand Prix in June.

The trip to Montreal is pencilled in as the new start to the season but the global crisis caused by Covid-19 means it may come too soon.

Chief executive Carey and his colleagues need to put on at least eight races to make up an official F1 championship, while they are obligated to stage at least 15 Grands Prix to avoid missing out on millions in broadcasting revenue.

Brundle admits F1 is some way off getting going again, but the former Benetton, Williams and McLaren driver can see innovative solutions being decided upon, including a bumper British Grand Prix weekend in July.

“I think it’s so hard to know (when the 2020 season will start),” Brundle told Sky Sports F1.

“I mean we’re a very international bunch of people. The F1 circus tops 3000 of us and, of course, any fans.

“And even when we’re released out of this hibernation I’m sure we’re not just going to start zooming round the world as a group of people.

“So it seems clear to me that as every Formula 1 team can truck to a European race that we might end up with a medley of those or maybe even two or three races at Silverstone, for example, to get it up and running.

“Every two and four-wheel championship and events like Goodwood are all compressing into the second half of the year, or probably even the final third of the year. So, track time, marshals, officials, air time on TV – it’s all going to be so compressed.

“I think we’re going to end up with this incredible string of Blue Riband events, assuming we get up and running at all.

“It seems obvious to me that we’ll truck to the first few

Grands Prix and then see how and if and when we might fly to some of the long-haul ones.”

Chandhok, who drove for HRT and Lotus in F1, was asked if he can envisage the 2020 season stretching beyond its current Nov 29 end date and into next year.

Like Brundle, he believes F1 chiefs will arrange two-race weekends to compensate for those lost due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think we’re in unprecedent times, as a society, worldwide” Chandhok said.

“And there’s possibly a chance for F1 to do things that are unprecedented.

“Do double-header weekends. I think this is a chance to be innovative and to be thinking outside the box with maybe a view to the longer term future as well.” – Express

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