The new Formula One season is yet to get under way as the sport battles the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton won his sixth F1 Championship last season, claiming glory in 11 races to romp to the title.
But the defence of his crown has been put on hold as the world of racing tries to deal with the virus.
The 2020 campaign was supposed to start on March 15 with the Australian Grand Prix but that had to be cancelled and no action has taken place since.
There are plenty of questions surrounding the sport and when it will finally get going.
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What races have been cancelled?
Three races have been cancelled so far – the Australian Grand Prix, the Monaco Grand Prix and the French Grand Prix.
A further seven races have had to be postponed in Bahrain, Vietnam, China, the Netherlands, Spain, Azerbaijan and Canada.
There has been no news as to when the postponed races could be held as of yet.
When could the new season begin?
As it stands, the season is scheduled to get under way with the Austrian Grand Prix on July 5.
The remaining 12 races this season, including the British Grand Prix, are still set to go ahead as planned.
The F1 organisers are considering a host of options of how best to complete the 2020 season.
That could see races rescheduled to fit the curtailed calendar or the likes of Silverstone even hosting more than one GP.
It remains to be seen if racing can begin in Austria or if this will need to be changed and it is also expected that some races will be held without fans.
The F1 said in the statement: “In light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation Formula 1 has announced a number of race postponements in the interests of safety for our fans, the communities we visit and the F1 community.
“As stated recently our intention is to start the 2020 season at some point this summer.
Formula 1: 2020 season could include TWO British Grands Prix with campaign to begin in Austria on first weekend in July
“At this time no-one can be certain of exactly when the situation will improve, but when it does, we will be ready to go racing again. We are all committed to bringing our fans a 2020 championship season.
“Formula 1 is currently working with our promoters on a revised 2020 calendar with the actual sequence and schedule dates for races likely to differ significantly from our original 2020 calendar. This will be published in due course.
“As previously announced we will utilise the summer break being brought forward to March/April to race during the normal summer break period, and anticipate the season end date will extend beyond our original end date of 27-29th November.”
Is the British Grand Prix still on?
Formula 1 says it won’t be able to hold a British Grand Prix amid the current plans to quarantine international travellers.
The UK government is set to impose a requirement on all arrivals from abroad to self-isolate for 14 days.
F1 says it would need personnel to be given exemptions to this to go ahead with a British race.
A spokesman said: “A 14-day quarantine would make it impossible to have a British Grand Prix this year.
“Additionally, it has a major impact on literally tens of thousands of jobs linked to F1 and supply chains.”
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What else has been said?
Formula 1 boss Chase Carey said: “I am increasingly confident with the progress of plans to begin the season this summer.
“September, October and November, would see us race in Eurasia, Asia and the Americas, finishing the season in the Gulf in December, with Bahrain before the traditional finale in Abu Dhabi, having completed between 15 and 18 races. We will publish our finalised calendar as soon as we possibly can.
“We expect the early races to be without fans but hope fans will be part of our events as we move further into the schedule.
“We still have to work out many issues, like the procedures for the teams and our other partners to enter and operate in each country.
“The health and safety of all involved will continue to be priority one and we will only go forward if we are confident we have reliable procedures to address both risks and possible issues.”
Source: TalkSport.com Motorsport
