By: Myanna Wedes
We have a start date! The COVID-19 virus has been ongoing for months now and an official calendar has been created to allow some racing to go ahead with safety measures in place as you can see below.
It will not be easy for anyone, in particular, the drivers who have been out of the cars for such a long period of time. They will need to adjust quick smart and then focus on their job for 2020 before thinking about 2021. It will be hard especially with the ongoing virus across the globe and the fact that racism is all over the globe with the majority of the United States Of America suffering #BlackLivesMatter.
The first 8 rounds of the 2020 calendar are as follows with potential for further races to be confirmed in the coming weeks. The goal is 15-18 races with a season conclusion in December.
| Race | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Formula 1 Rolex Grosser Preis von Osterreich | The Red Bull Ring, Austria | July 3-5 |
| Formula 1 Pirelli Grosser Preis der Steiermark | The Red Bull Ring, Austria | July 10-12 |
| Formula 1 Aramco Magyar Nagydij | The Hungaroring, Hungary | July 17-19 |
| Formula 1 Pirelli British Grand Prix | Silverstone, UK | July 31 – August 2 |
| Emirates Formula 1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix | Silverstone, UK | August 7-9 |
| Formula 1 Aramco Gran Premio de Espana | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain | August 14-16 |
| Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix | Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium | August 28-30 |
| Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken d’Italia | Monza, Italy | September 4-6 |
So what will they be doing to combat the virus:
Regular testing
Closed events
Minimal personnel
Isolated travel
Social distancing
We will have to wait and see how things unfold with a daily update most important as to how the events unfold.
Be ready for when the engines roar.
Press Release Courtesy Of Formula 1:
Over the past two months Formula 1 has been working closely with all partners, authorities, the FIA and the ten teams to create a revised calendar that will allow a return to racing in a way that is safe for the communities we visit and the entire Formula 1 community. We have now completed the agreements with our promoters, and are able to publish the opening 2020 schedule that will begin in Austria on 3-5 July. Due to the ongoing fluidity of the COVID-19 situation internationally, we will be finalising the details of the wider calendar and hope to publish that in the coming weeks with an expectation of having a total of 15-18 races before we complete our season in December.
As stated previously we currently expect the opening races to be closed events but hope fans will be able to join our events again when it is safe to do so. The opening calendar will include holding two consecutive events at the same circuit one week apart as well as a number of back to back events. The health and safety of all involved will continue to be priority number one, with Formula 1 and the FIA having a robust and detailed plan to ensure our races maintain the highest level of safety with strict procedures in place.
Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO 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. We are pleased to be able to set out our opening eight race calendar today and look forward to publishing our full calendar in the coming weeks. I want to thank every promoter and partner for their support and ongoing commitment to Formula 1. 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.”