F1 confirms first eight races
Formula One has announced the first eight races of the season will take place behind closed doors in just ten weeks between July and September. The first ten races of the season were cancelled or postponed due to Coronavirus, these eight races are the minimum required for a world championship.
The new schedule features eight races at six circuits, with back-to-back Grands Prix in Austria (July 03 – 05, 10 – 12) and Silverstone (31 July –2 August, 09 – 11 August), while there are also set to be two triple headers.
The other events on the calendar are those in Hungary (July 17 – 19), Spain (14 – 16 August), while Belgium (28 – 30 August) and Italy (04 – 06 September) remain in their original dates. The races are the minimum needed for a world championship, although F1 says ‘further races will be announced in the coming weeks’.
Although it has not been confirmed the Eurasian races in Baku and Sochi are expected to follow on 18 – 20 & 28 – 30 September.
The Coronavirus pandemic has caused the first ten races to be cancelled or postponed. Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring, the first on Sunday, July 5, which was Austria’s planned race date.
After the second race there, the sport will head 200 miles east to the Hungaroring in Budapest.
The week in between Budapest and Silverstone is to allow rest for the teams and to allow for a short quarantine although F1 is expected to be granted a quarantine exemption by the British government, and then a race in Barcelona which was initially set for May.
F1’s regular Belgium-Italy doubleheader keeps its planned race dates, with Grands Prix at Spa-Francorchamps and Monza the last races confirmed by the sport so far.
Italy confirms one-year extension due to closed doors
The mayor of Monza has announced the city has extended the contract to host the Italian Grand Prix by a year to include the 2025 season. Just before last year’s race, F1 confirmed a new five-year contract with organiser Automobile Club d’Italia that covered the 2020-24 seasons.
At the same time, Dario Allevi said he was told of the deal extension by ACI president Angelo Sticchi Damiani when the latter called to confirm details of this year’s event.
Allevi said in a news briefing, “While many circuits have had to give up because of the health emergency, Monza will be there. Albeit behind closed doors. And Formula 1 has decided to extend the contract, just stipulated, with our race track by one year.”
“Racing cars will continue to speed through the temple of speed until at least 2025.”
Italy has had one of the world’s worst outbreaks of Coronavirus, with 223,515 cases and 33,530 deaths since the beginning of March.
Details needed to avoid “accounting world championship”
Red Bull believes small details are needed around the budget cap which can be stored out to an “accounting world championship”. Last week, as part of its response to the Coronavirus the rule changes aimed at cutting costs and making F1 more exciting was formally signed off by the FIA.
Despite them being unanimously agreed, some aspects of the £125m cost cap, especially when it comes to equitably treating teams, need to be hammered out to avoid potential for controversy in the future.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said that while outfits like his had agreed to “painful” concessions for the good of the sport, it was important that there was no scope for rivals to try to get around restrictions.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Horner said: “I think that there’s been a lot of work, a lot of ground given particularly by the big three teams, and we’ve supported the process. We’ve taken a pragmatic view for the benefit of the sport.”
“That has been painful in some areas. But I think overall F1 will be stronger for this set of regulations, even though there’s still some details that need to be finalised.”
One-off the main challenges are to police spending which could be complicated as every team operates. For example, Red Bull is an independent, Ferrari’s F1 operation is part of its road car business while Mercedes has close ties with its parent company.
The other problem could be the cost of supplying parts to smaller teams, Haas and Alfa Romeo have agreements with Ferrari and Mercedes with Racing Point. Also, the issues with fluxions in exchange rates as well as Brexit.
Horner says that the regulations are complicated and there are things which could be contentious, with the sport risking an accounting world championships, rather than the ones that are settled on the circuit.
No expansion of free to air
Formula One says there are no plans to offer more live free-to-air coverage of the sport this year, despite fans being unable to attend races. The sport will begin it seventieth season in July behind closed doors and push by governments to make these events free to air.
While other sports, including some of football’s major leagues, are showing selected events on free-to-air television because governments are eager to put live action on again for the public, F1 has made clear that it will be sticking to its current broadcast arrangements.
That means in the UK F1 will be shown exclusively live on pay-tv channel Sky, with delayed highlights of qualifying and the race broadcast on Channel 4. The only exception is the British Grand Prix, which C4 also shows live.
In the UK free to air means according to the regulator Ofcom, ‘a television channel will only be a qualifying service if it is available on satellite and cable, can be viewed by all (Freeview) viewers, and is streamed on IPTV (BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4). It should also be provided either without charge or in a “basic” subscription package.’
That means that the second race at Silverstone would air on Sky.
In a Q&A posted on the official F1 website, F1 said about the possibility of it making some races available on free-to-air TV: “F1 has existing contracts in place for broadcast and it is right we honour those commitments with our long-term partners.
‘Silverstone will host two events, with one of those events available live as Free-to-air (FTA) within the UK. Each market situation is different and has comprehensive highlight packages to complement the live broadcast of the races.”
Renault not interested in “second-tier” championship
Renault’s F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul admits that the French manufacturer would have had “no interest” in continuing as a “second-tier” player in the sport had the rules not undergone a change for 2021 and beyond.
Last week, the French manufacturer’s chief financial officer and acting CEO Clotilde Delbos moved to address doubts about the company’s future in F1 by announcing that it remains committed while emphasising that the reduced cost cap limits that begin in 2021 played a crucial role in the decision to stay.
Even before the Coronavirus, the scandal involving Carlos Ghosn had prompted a review of its operations. The end of the current Concorde Agreement and lack of any commitment to engine customers from 2021, in theory, gave Renault an opportunity to walk away.
Last week, the company announced that it would cut 15,000 jobs worldwide as part of an attempt to save €2bn, but Delbos said that the racing programme would continue to be a key part of its marketing strategy.
Abiteboul told Motorsport.com, “There’s been lots of speculation regarding Renault’s commitment in F1. I think clearly she’s put a stop to the speculation, and that was necessary.”
“Obviously there was an announcement of major plans, a review of the way the company was operating, the priorities of the company, and therefore I guess there was some speculation that F1 could be seen as an opportunity to save costs.” He added.
Abiteboul says that Delbos has made it clear that the investment in F1 was becoming better and better, and not just because of the last regulations. He added that financial regulations from 2021 means there was no reason not to commit.
Abiteboul says that the F1 team management has been in continuous contact with the top executives about future regulations. He says that last weeks meeting was not a one-off meeting. For Renault F1 is valuable as a marketing platform, and the cost of the sport going forward doesn’t outweigh the marketing.
