F1 French GP officially cancelled
I'm thrilled that the Austrian GP has now officially been announced as the season opener by F1! Bravo Liberty! And I'm not much of a fan of them in general but now they finally did a miraculous thing that was overdue. Thanks a lot!
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/149170/british-gp-will-be-held-without-fans Silverstone has confirmed that the Formula 1 British Grand Prix is to be held behind closed doors, if the race is able to take place. In a letter sent to ticket holders on Monday morning, circuit boss Stuart Pringle said that it won't be possible to allow fans to attend due to current social distancing measures in place due to the coronavirus. Although it has yet to be confirmed, the track is expected to stage two races, following on from two opening rounds in Austria. More news on the revamped schedule is expected to emerge soon. "I am extremely disappointed to tell you that we are unable to stage this year's British Grand Prix in front of the fans at Silverstone," Pringle said. "We have left this difficult decision for as long as possible, but it is abundantly clear given the current conditions in the country and the Government requirements in place now and for the foreseeable future, that a grand prix under normal conditions is just not going to be possible.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/149183/catalunya-circuit-open-to-hosting-summer-f1-race Catalunya is open to hosting the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix in the summer, and says there are no restrictions on when the circuit can be used. The race was postponed from its original 10 May slot last month, at the same time that the Dutch and Monaco events were called off, due to the coronavirus pandemic. With France now officially cancelled and both the Netherlands and Belgium potentially impacted by local regulations stopping major events until 1 September, Barcelona is one of the few European venues readily available to immediately follow the opening rounds of the season, which are currently planned for Austria and Britain in July. "Since the beginning what we offered to Chase [Carey, F1 boss] is that we want to be on the same page," circuit general manager Joan Fonsere told Autosport. "Obviously if they think we can help the sport of F1 to have a stronger and better world championship in the future, we will be there. "That's the way we've acted from the beginning to today. "We offered them the possibility of Barcelona organising an event, as we have 30 years of experience, and we are very well located in terms of logistics. "We are in close contact now with F1 and having conversations about a new date in the season. "As Chase says, they are starting the season in Europe in July/August, and we will be there, around those dates, for sure." Usually Barcelona would not want a summer date, because locals are on holiday and the city is busy anyway with tourists, but the current situation and the prospect of a closed doors event means that all options are open. "They asked us if there is any date which is not possible for us, and we said 'no'," he added. "We want to run the event, and we can manage and organise everything to help F1.
Catalunya has been supported by public money for at least a decade IIRC. I have to again wonder about the economics of any proposed race. Public finances in US cities and states are in shambles... closed economies mean no tax revenue. I can only assume public finances in Barcelona / Catalunya / and Spain are in shambles as well. The only way I see a race occurring in Spain is if it is guaranteed money producer to the region. With no ticket sales,... there will be no tourist revenue, and any revenue obtained from team expenses will be insignificant. The only way I see this getting approved is if Liberty pays to go there. Does Liberty intend to pay $10-20M to the track / city? It's easy for a track to say... "Sure we are open to hosing a race". #HopefulSkeptic
It seems to me that current proposals for quarantine & safe zones will make it impossible for Austria to immediately precede Silverstone Under these proposals to get into the UK will require two week self-isolation (eg most drivers / Ferrari / Torro Rosso) and then more self-isolation to enter Schengen (the rest of Europe) This could be why there seems to be no date on yesterday's email about Silverstone tickets so that it gets moved either to begin the season or later once the UK/Schengen border normalizes to some extent (Motogp has the reverse issue since most bikes and teams are already within Schengen with Silverstone scheduled for later in the year)
Yes, beware of over-enthusiast journos taking their wish for reality, and thinking that F1 is the only thing that matters.
Head of Japan Medical Association has said the holding Tokyo Olympics in 2021 difficult without a vaccine. Any hope that there will be F1 in Japan in 2020 is likely fantasy.
In my case, that's true. We have plenty of important things to solve before thinking about entertainment. I wrote off this year as a F1 championship as soon as I learnt about the pandemic. I said at the time "If we cannot do things properly, it's better no to do them at all." It's far from over, and it's still my belief that we shouldn't be reckless by trying to go back to normality too soon.
I am very sincerely hoping there is racing. I am just being a realist. from what I have read there is no officially scheduled race yet.
One that does not begin: Target is to begin season in Austria on July 5 and includes We will publish our finalised calendar as soon as we possibly can
Lots of people expecting 100% safe space before proceeding outside. The highlight is, once these events open up, I'll have lots of room to go and enjoy them! Hoping F1 does indeed start in Austria. I keep checking in here to see when....fingers crossed. It's time.
When you're going to an event along with another 100,000 people there is no such thing as 100% safe. Virus or not. Except that F1 will not want you there: ghost races At least in the beginning, hopefully that too will change as the year progresses. I've said it before: I do believe states/governments/race tracks are like dominoes: Once one falls, aka opens the other want a piece of the action too and open as well. Look at Europe: Austria's prime minister had the chutzpah to open his country and now the Swiss and the Germans can't wait to follow suit.
Organising a race without public must be like trying to do pastry without eggs !! Unpalatable. This season (will they dare to call it a championship?) will definitely have an asterix attached to it. Pity the Swiss and the German don't have GPs, eh ...
Silverstone writing to marshals to check availability for July 19 https://www.pitpass.com/66896/A-Silverstone-mystery
Be careful what you wish for, you might get it: F1 is currently in talks with the owners of the Hockenheimring. They are looking for a track in a Euro country where there are less cases and Germany happens to be that place. It would be a ghost race so F1 won't charge the fee but rather eat the costs of setting up the race. It could happen.
Sounds like it is official! Infection rates in Germany have climbed after partial re-opening. This isn't good news. Sorry,... but I think getting government approval for this will be a massive challenge. #TheHopefulSkeptic
Germany couldn't afford to pay the fee for having a GP. Now Liberty would pay them to hold one, that's rather ironic. I gather that Liberty is desperate to have GPs to keep the TV channels in the loop.
The latest news make me think that we won't have any F1 till fall/winter. To be honest, I think that this period of F1 abstinence is being very good for me: I'm saving time for more constructive hobbies and our guys caused angry bursts and cursing more often than what one could consider healthy.
