2020 F1 calendar to be tweaked, 2021 rules overhaul likely to be postponed. 2020 F1 calendar to be tweaked.

Formula One bosses have discussed suspending the start of the new season until June after the Australian Grand Prix was cancelled.

The sport’s traditional curtain raiser at Melbourne’s Albert Park was officially axed just 90 minutes before practice was due to begin on Friday following McLaren’s withdrawal from the event after one of their mechanics tested positive for coronavirus.

Although next weekend’s behind-closed-doors race in Bahrain is yet to be formally called off, it is understood that the view of the sport’s travelling circus is to delay the campaign until the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, pencilled in for June 7, at the earliest.

With Formula One Management already finding it difficult to reschedule the postponed Chinese Grand Prix, it faces an even tougher hurdle in seeking to find slots for the forthcoming races that are likely to be postponed also. With Vietnam also certain to be postponed, it’s understood that the Dutch, Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix will also be called off in the coming days, leaving Azerbaijan as the potential season opener.

Finding new slots for so many races – and that’s assuming the virus eases – would be near impossible so there is talk of extending the championship into 2021. This would in turn mean delaying the proposed rules overhaul until 2022 or even later.