Paris
The Formula 1 season will finally get underway with back-to-back races at the Austrian Grand Prix circuit in July, as part of an eight-race European series.
The Red Bull Ring circuit in Spielberg will host the races on July 5th and 12th, as announced by the International Automobile Federation on Tuesday.
The next race will be in Hungary on July 19th, followed by a couple of races in Silverstone, home of the British GP, on August 2nd and 9th, after the local government agreed to exempt elite sports from the quarantine measures imposed on foreign visitors.
The first race of the year will keep its usual name of GP of Austria. One week later, Spielberg will host the so-called GP of Styria, the name of the region where the circuit is located.
Silverstone will first host the traditional British GP and then a new GP called the 70th Anniversary GP.
Races in Spain on August 16th and Belgium on August 30th have also been scheduled. Italy will complete the European tour on September 6th.
"Due to the fluidity of the current COVID-19 situation worldwide, the details of the rest of the calendar will be announced in the coming weeks," a statement from the organization said.
BREAKING: The opening 8 races of a revised 2020 calendar are now confirmed
All 8 are currently set to be closed events, operating under the strongest safety procedures
Further races will be announced in the coming weeks pic.twitter.com/vQioKOAkQo
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 2, 2020
Four races have been canceled this season due to the pandemic: Australia, Monaco, France, and the Netherlands.
F1 remains optimistic that they can hold between 15 and 18 of the 22 races on the calendar by rescheduling the six postponed ones and completing the season in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.
The fate of the races in Singapore, Russia, Japan, the United States, Mexico, and Brazil is still unknown.
The promoters of the Mexican Grand Prix have stated that the dates from October 30th to November 1st are still confirmed to host the F1.
- The COVID-19 pandemic forces the suspension of the Dutch GP until 2021.
The organization clarified that no spectators will be allowed into the tracks, although that may be possible later in the year if the health conditions allow it.
"At the moment, it is expected that the scheduled races will be held behind closed doors, but it is hoped that fans will be able to return to the races when it is safe," the statement said. (D)