Friday, March 29, 2024

F1: Season could start in Austria while Silverstone may host two races

The latest proposal from F1 bosses to get the season underway would see the Austrian race to place as initially scheduled, while Silverstone would host two races.

Off the back of their much anticipated meeting on Thursday, F1 team bosses were presented with a new proposal to get the season underway.

It would see the Austrian GP, which is set to be held on the 3-5 July, take place as and when it was originally scheduled – but without any fans in attendance.

The proposal would then see Silverstone host two races, which would also be held behind closed doors.

This comes after eight of the first nine races were postponed, while the Monaco GP has been cancelled altogether as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most of the countries wherein F1 races are held are currently in lockdown and have banned sporting events for the foreseeable future.

The reason why Austria has been earmarked as the potential start date is due to the fact that lockdown rules are softening in the country.

They allowed thousands of shops and businesses to reopen in Austria this week, while people are still being advised to work from home.

The problem the F1 bosses have is that they don’t want to start the season if it cannot continue – so unless there are assurances that eight of the races can be completed, the season won’t be getting underway any time soon.

The meeting was initially scheduled to allow the team bosses to discuss lowering the budget cap further than the $150m that had previously been agreed.

The meeting broke up without a resolution on that particular subject but all sides described the discussion as positive and constructive.

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