Update: F1 has announced the first 8 events. As expected it starts in Austria July 3-5th. Here is the schedule they posted:
For these initial events they will be a few rules implemented. The biggest impact is Closed Events with no fans. They also are focusing purely on European races to avoid travel.
Still no word on the impact to the US Gran Prix, which was originally scheduled for October. It’s still expected to be run as part of the modified schedule. In addition, North America’s other race at Montreal has not been rescheduled yet, but was labeled as “postponed” not canceled previously.
Original Post:
Many events that have been delayed, canceled or rescheduled and a major series like F1 is no exception. However, with NASCAR recently restarting without fans, more series are looking to ways to restart.
F1 has recently announced that they plan to restart (likely without fans) beginning the weekend of July 3-5 in Austria.
Their current plan is to try to get 15 to 18 races in. The modified schedule is also likely to be highly Europe centric to limit complexity.
While it isn’t great news the restart is likely not going to include fans. For those of us American Motorsports enthusiasts who generally catch F1 on TV or streaming, this at least means we’ll begin having some live Motorsports to watch.
It also means the beloved Monaco race is definitely not happening. Missing out on an iconic race like this is a huge blow.
On the US F1 race front – with an October 2020 date, the US race is still scheduled and has a chance to run. How re-opening goes will likely determine whether fans will be allowed by then.
The nearby Montreal F1 raced has already been postponed. It was originally scheduled for June 12-14, 2020. No official word yet on whether it will be included in the modified schedule. While the history of the race in Montreal should make it a priority, as we’ve seen with Monaco, history and significance alone is not enough to save an event.
Note: This post was updated on 6/2/2020 to reflect the F1 restart schedule.
