F1 returns next month - here's how

After weeks of speculation as to how the re-jigged Formula One race calendar would look for 2020, there are now confirmed dates for the first eight races of the season.

The European season is as follows:

Austrian GP (Red Bull Ring) – July 3-5
GP of Steiermark (Red Bull Ring) – July 10-12
Hungarian GP (Hungaroring) – July 17-19
British GP (Silverstone) – July 31-August 2
70th Anniversary GP (Silverstone) – August 7-9
Spanish GP (Barcelona) – August 14-16
Belgian GP (Spa) – August 28-30
Italian GP (Monza) – September 4-6

It is fantastic to see the first part of the calendar confirmed.

I had my doubts that the season could go ahead at all because of the UK’s 14-day quarantine for international travellers. It seemed as if the British government wouldn’t exempt F1 from the quarantine but they have, allowing the sport to return from next month.

It also means that F1 can commemorate its 70th anniversary at the place where it all started back in 1950. While it will obviously not be the big celebration that F1 had planned, a race behind closed doors at Silverstone is better than no race at all.

F1’s return can’t come soon enough for those teams who have found themselves in some sort of financial difficulty as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

McLaren have had to cut more than a quarter of its total workforce, including 70 members of the F1 team. Meantime, Williams are in that much strife that they are looking at selling the team – an unthinkable prospect not that long ago.

Two out of the three main revenue streams for Formula One will be re-activated upon its return. With the sport back on our screens, sponsors can get brand exposure again while television rights deals will be fulfilled.

It is also great to see that Formula One’s two feeder series, Formula 2 and Formula 3, have not been forgotten. Both championships will have support races at all eight grand prix weekends.

It doesn’t look like there’ll be any changes to the weekend structure, despite suggestions that there could be trials of reverse grid races or qualifying sprint races (or even both at the same time).

It is understood that Mercedes were the main objectors of this plan, with fears that it could ruin Lewis Hamilton’s chances of equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world titles this season.

(Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

There have been some comments that, by having two races at the same circuit, both races would play out in the same way. This is nonsense.

And there’s no need to introduce any gimmicky formats in order to try and mix things up.

Both races at Austria will have their own scenarios and strategies attached to them. The same goes for Silverstone.

For example, it may be bone dry one weekend and soaking wet the next. Knowing Silverstone and the Great British weather, it’s not out of the question that might happen!

As for any safety concerns, they should be allayed by F1’s five steps to safe racing.

Step 1 is ongoing testing. I would assume the system that F1 will operate will be exactly the same as that used by other sports, such as the NRL. There’ll be temperature checks aplenty too.

Step 2 is closed events. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand that, for the foreseeable future, all races will be held behind closed doors. Of course, when it is safe to do so, F1 plan on welcoming fans with open arms.

Step 3 is minimal personnel. What’s the lowest number of people you need to run a successful grand prix? Whatever that number is will be the number of people at the track, including marshals and the skeleton broadcasting crew.

Step 4 is isolated travel. A ‘bubble’ will be created, chartered flights will be used as much as possible, and there will be private transfers between the track and hotels and airports.

Step 5 is social distancing. An obvious step but an important one, including the altering of pre- and post-race ceremonies to ensure social distancing is maintained. It will be interesting to see how that will affect the podium ceremony, which will probably be almost like a ‘grab your trophy and go’ situation.

Daniel Ricciardo, Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez on the Monaco podium (Red Bull Content Pool)

I, for one, am confident in the safety measures outlined and am more than happy to support the return to racing next month. Other sports have successfully returned behind closed doors and I’m sure that the same will happen with F1.

Within the next few weeks, we should see a fully completed calendar with the aim still being to hold between 15 and 18 races before the end of the season in December.

For now though, let’s sit happy in the knowledge that, in a month’s time, the cars will be out on track in anger for the first time since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix more than six months ago.

Let’s go racing.