Formula 1 has announced a number of race postponements in the interests of safety.
DOHA: Formula 1 is currently working with their promoters on a revised 2020 calendar with the actual sequence and schedule dates for races likely to differ significantly from the 2020 calendar.
Two races (Australia, Monaco) have been cancelled, seven (Bahrain, China, Vietnam, Netherlands, Spain, Azerbaijan, Canada) have been postponed and the later rounds, starting with the French Grand Prix on June 28, are in doubt.
“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,” the F1 said on their website.
“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 November 27-29th.”
Ratings agency Moody’s downgraded Formula One, owned by the American group Liberty Media, early in April but said it felt the sport could survive a lost season.
“Formula One has strong liquidity and a sufficiently flexible cost base to manage through a severely curtailed 2020 season,” wrote Moody’s, adding that F1 “would likely be able to support a full cancellation.”
“Ticket holders who did not purchase through those routes should get the latest information on transfers or refunds through their point of purchase. For races not postponed ticket holders’ tickets remain valid,” the F1 added.
The sport’s leadership is not ready to write this season off.
“If we were able to start at the beginning of July we could do a 19-race season,” Ross Brawn, a F1 managing director, said on April 8.
Brawn said under FIA rules “eight races is the minimum we can have a world championship.”
“We could achieve eight races by starting in October. So if you wanted a drop dead point it would be October.” (Source: Formula 1)
