Formula 1 has been aiming for weeks to start the season in Austria in a month and a half. Red Bull Racing, which owns the Red Bull Ring, is confident that it will. The matches will have to take place behind closed doors.
However, F1 has still not received permission to start the season on July 5 and 12 with a double race in Austria. However, the Austrian government hopes to clarify it soon.
“We are busy assessing the safety plan. The assessment is now in the examination phase. We are trying to reach a decision as soon as possible,” Austrian health minister Rudolf Anschober said on Monday at a press conference.
“Keeping enough distance shouldn’t be too difficult. There will be some precautions in the garage boxes. I am more concerned about things related to departure and arrival, accommodation and catering,” Anschober added.
The F1 season should have started in March, but was always postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Grands Prix of Australia, Bahrain, Vietnam, China, the Netherlands, Spain, Monaco, Azerbaijan, Canada and France have already been canceled.
There also seemed to be a streak due to the double race in Britain on July 19 and 26 due to the strict rules in England – From June 8, all travelers from abroad must be quarantined for two weeks – but The Times reports on Monday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has instructed his cabinet to make an exception for F1 teams.
F1 boss Chase Carey on the other hand, has said several times that he thinks the adjusted calendar will consist of fifteen to eighteen races. He also does not rule out the possibility of racing in January in order to be able to organize all the Grands Prix.
“We recognise there is significant potential for additional postponements in currently scheduled events, nonetheless we and our partners fully expect the season to start at some point this summer, with a revised calendar of between 15-18 races.” Carey said.
