FÓRMULA-1

Austrian government gives endorsement, and F1 is expected to start on 5 July

The 2020 season of Formula 1 is expected to start on 5 July. On Monday (1st), the Austrian government authorized the most important category of motorsport in the world to use the Red Bull Ring circuit, located in the village of Spielberg, near the town of Zeltweg, for the first two stages of the season. In this way, the race track should receive the Austrian GP on 5 July and the Styrian GP (only to have a differentiation) a week later, on 12 July, both with the gates closed. The endorsement was given by the Austrian Ministry of Health after Liberty Media, the current owner of Formula 1, presented a comprehensive safety plan to prevent Covid-19 infections in drivers, mechanics and everyone else involved with a race of the category. "The organizers presented a concept of implementation based on the special requirements for a Formula 1 GP and the necessary protective measures against the spread of the coronavirus. In addition to strict hygiene measures, the concept also provides regular testing and health checks for teams and all other employees, as well as a specific medical concept. For the Ministry of Health, the concept meets the requirements to prevent the spread of coronavirus after a detailed analysis by specialists. The crucial factor is close coordination between the organisers and regional and local health authorities, " said Rudolf Anschober, Austrian health minister, in an official statement.
With the authorization, it is quite likely that Liberty Media will officially announce in the coming days the start of the 2020 season for July 5. What is not known, however, is whether it will be possible to put into practice the will externalized at the end of March by Chase Carey, CEO of F1, who wanted between 15 and 18 Tests in the redesigned calendar.
Behind the scenes, what is said is that the Silverstone Circuit in England would also be willing to receive two races in a row of the season between the end of July and the beginning of August. The BBC reported, this Sunday (31), that the authorization will be granted by the British government, but on the condition that there is no public. The circuits of Hungaroring in Hungary and Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, in turn, also already have the approval of the respective governments for the holding of tests with the gates closed.
It is worth remembering that the season was scheduled to begin on March 15, with the Australian Grand Prix, which was canceled. Since then, three other events have also been canceled (Monaco, France and the Netherlands), as well as six others that have been postponed and do not yet have a scheduled date (Bahrain, China, Vietnam, Spain, Azerbaijan and Canada).

Autonews