Post-COVID 2020 Formula 1 Calendar: What We Know So Far
The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship was, once, intended to be the most eventful season in the sport’s history with 22 races. As it turns out, it may be one of the shortest seasons since the 1970s. Even as the world is reopening its doors, much of the 2020 Formula 1 calendar remains in question. Here’s what we know so far.
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Only eight rounds have so far been confirmed, including back-to-back, repeat races at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone, which has led to the re-emergence of the reverse grid discussion. Nine races are in limbo, and seven have been officially canceled.
In April, F1 CEO Chase Carey said he anticipated a 15-18 race calendar this year, but that’s looking more and more improbable. Just this week, three more circuits announced they would have to cancel, including the prestigious Singapore and Japanese Grands Prix. What’s more, many of the unconfirmed races are not looking more likely than not to host a race, such as the United States Grand Prix.
At the moment, the 8th official round of the 2020 F1 season will take place on Sept. 6. In the pre-COVID-19 schedule, only seven more events were to take place after that, which would add up to 15 should they still go ahead, but two of those events have already been canceled.
It’s therefore quite possible that Carey will be unable to meet his 15-race target without turning to venues that were never originally on the calendar, and indeed some have spoken up about their availability. Portimão in Portugal, Jerez in Spain, Hockenheim in Germany, and Mugello and Imola in Italy all have circuits that meet the FIA’s requirements for hosting an F1 race.
There is another worry for F1, too. There are two key requirements outlined in the sporting regulations for a set of F1 races to be officially considered a championship. The first is that there must be at least eight races. The second is that competitions must be held on at least three continents during the same season. As it stands, the confirmed races are only in Europe.
There is talk on the paddock of a “super season” that would carry over into 2021, but this could potentially complicate matters even more than it may resolve them. For now, we’ll just have to sit tight and see what happens.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.