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Formula 1 chairman Chase Carey expects the 2020 grand prix season to start “at some point this summer”, with a reduced calendar of 15-18 races.
In a statement issued by F1 on the day the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was postponed, Carey acknowledged it is impossible to be sure of when the season will begin given the COVID-19 pandemic but said the organisation is currently working on the basis of a summer start.
He also confirmed F1 now plans to extend the season beyond November 29, which is the date of the current finale in Abu Dhabi, as part of its revised schedule, on top of the plan to run through the August shutdown period that has now been moved to be completed by each team before the end of April.
“While at present no-one can be certain of exactly when the situation will improve, it will improve and when it does, we will be ready to go racing again,” said Carey.
“We are all committed to bringing our fans a 2020 championship season.
“We recognise there is significant potential for additional postponements in currently scheduled events, none the less we and our partners fully expect the season to start at some point this summer, with a revised calendar of between 15-18 races.
“As previously announced we will utilise the summer break being brought forward to March/April, to race during the normal summer break period and anticipate the season end date will extend beyond our original end date of 27-29th November, with the actual sequence and schedule dates for races differing significantly from our original 2020 calendar.
“It is not possible to provide a more specific calendar now due to the fluidity of the current situation but we expect to gain clearer insights to the situation in each of our host countries, as well as the issues related to travel to these countries, in the coming month.”
The first eight races of the 2020 season have now either been cancelled or called off, meaning the first race on the current calendar is the Canadian Grand Prix on June 14.
Given Carey has accepted there may be further postponements and the fact that many expect the Montreal race to also be postponed, it also gives F1 a wide window to aim at given the northern hemisphere summer runs well into September.
Chase Carey’s full statement
Over the past week, Formula 1, the ten F1 teams and the FIA have come together and taken rapid, decisive action as part of our initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While at present no-one can be certain of exactly when the situation will improve, it will improve and when it does, we will be ready to go racing again. We are all committed to bringing our fans a 2020 Championship Season.
We recognise there is significant potential for additional postponements in currently scheduled events, none the less we and our partners fully expect the season to start at some point this summer, with a revised calendar of between 15-18 races. As previously announced we will utilise the summer break being brought forward to March/April, to race during the normal summer break period and anticipate the season end date will extend beyond our original end date of 27-29th November, with the actual sequence and schedule dates for races differing significantly from our original 2020 calendar. It is not possible to provide a more specific calendar now due to the fluidity of the current situation but we expect to gain clearer insights to the situation in each of our host countries, as well as the issues related to travel to these countries, in the coming month.
With the benefit of the FIA’s announcement and agreement in principle to freeze technical regulations throughout 2021, no summer break and factory shut downs being moved forward to March/April the sport now intends to race through the period normally set aside for the summer break and fulfil lost events from the first part of this year. This flexibility offers an opportunity to evolve the sport, experiment and try new things. That may include initiatives such as expanding our esports platform, developing more innovative content like Netflix Drive to Survive and other creative ways to drive ongoing value for the sport’s sponsor partners, broadcast partners, race promoters, teams and fans – the ecosystem of our fantastic sport.
Between Formula 1, the teams and the FIA, working with our key stakeholders, we are planning and fully committed to returning to the track at the earliest opportunity to commence the 2020 season and will continue to take advice from health officials and experts, as our first priority continues to be the safety and health of our fans, the communities we visit and those within the Formula 1 family. We’re confident we’ll all get through this and see better days, ahead, and, when we do, we will ensure that everyone invested in this sport at every level feels rewarded.
