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Formula 1's managing director Ross Brawn has announced F1's plans to move postponed races to the August summer break due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The season-opening Australian Grand Prix was cancelled after a member from the McLaren team tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, with the following rounds in Bahrain, Vietnam and China also postponed.
With F1 now targeting to start the season with May's Monaco Grand Prix, Brawn believes that the season can still be saved with the use of the summer break, traditionally a four-week break in August, to host the postponed races.
"Maybe we take a hiatus, we take a pause - and then we use that opportunity to say right, for this time at the beginning of the year we won't have any races, we'll look at relocating those races later in the year," Brawn told Sky Sports F1.
"I think by freeing up the August break, we give ourselves several weekends where we can have a race. And I think we can build a pretty decent calendar for the rest of the year.
"It will look different, but it will still preserve a good number of races, and they're exciting races. So the season's going to start later, but I think it will be just as entertaining."
Triple-header with two-day weekends 'could be an option'
With the first four races of the season now not going ahead, there is no confirmation as to what will happen to the Dutch and Spanish Grands Prix, which are set to take place prior to the Monaco Grand Prix in May.
However, Brawn affirmed that F1 is looking at a number of options in order to have as many races as possible for the season, one of which is a return to a triple-header weekend, last saw in F1 in 2018 with the French, Austrian and British Grands Prix.
"One thing we have been talking about is two-day weekends, and therefore if we have a triple header with two-day weekends, that could be an option," Brawn added.
"I'm pretty optimistic that we can have a good 17-18 race championship or more. I think we can squeeze them in. But it depends on when the season will start."
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G. Zhou
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Replies (5)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Regardless of how wise it was to cancel the Aussie race, I feel it's safe to say that the FIA has handled this very poorly.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
I think they have done fine except for Australia... I think it was clear it would need to be canceled a few days before the announcement
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Yup, but that is one pretty big except. Fact is, this 2 hours pre-start cancellation wasn't okay. They should've been more decisive before the teams travelled all the way to Melbourne. People and teams spent a lot of money to travel to the race, and even if the tickets are refunded the travelling money will mostly not be reclaimable. It's a bad blow to teams like Williams, who already struggle financially.
Mansell
Posts: 104
Least Bernie would have been in the country the whole time .
Not off in Vietnam swanning about
Pistonhead
Posts: 556
agree AJPP - Maintaining the races is key for Liberty in order to retain income (primarily) and it might just improve the spectacle with moving a bunch of these to 2 days events, I'm not a big fan of four days, would prefer three, so if this gets it back on track great. Its going to be a hell of a long drag for all those involved, especially those travelling...