Formula 1 is set to confirm the start of the 2020 season with a double-header in Austria in July imminently, reports from the country claim. It’s not new news that, despite the coronavirus pandemic continuing globally, the Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring is pushing to take place on its original date of July 5.
Last week, the Strategy Group began to consider measures that would be needed for the race behind closed doors to go ahead, this included no independent media and mandatory Covid-19 testing of all team and other personnel who planned to head to Spielberg, complete with a certificate of confirmation.
Providing all the measures can be met, two GP’s, the first on July 5 and another on July 12, are expected to be announced, with Austria’s O3 radio station saying only a second wave of infections would put that at risk.
This is a slight change with what Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko previously suggested, as he claimed a Wednesday evening race could take place, three days after the original Sunday event.
All this is being said though while officially, at least for now, the French GP at Paul Ricard is actually still pencilled in as the first race on June 28.
Recently, a ban of public events was extended seemingly confirmed it would be postponed, but new reporting says organisers have yet to do that as they too consider a closed-door race but want to strike a deal with F1 bosses first.
And as for where F1 goes after Austria is now appearing less certain, as the continued high number of cases in Britain throws plans for another double-header at Silverstone into doubt. Silverstone for the momet looks set to follow the same path with a double weekend, which would again be held without fans and media in attendance, again this hinges on Liberty making a contribution as the British GP depends on ticket sales.
Another question will be whether teams, who are currently observing a five-week factory shutdown, would be ready to start racing on July 5 after such a lengthy delay.
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