THE F1 COVID THREAD: Will GP be cancelled?

[Adam43]

I forgot how they said they were definitely going to have 19 races.

They are still aiming for as many races as possible. As time goes on the situation becomes clearer. I hope they will continue to do so.

[Moneyseeker]

Originally Posted by Adam43

I forgot how they said they were definitely going to have 19 races.

They are still aiming for as many races as possible. As time goes on the situation becomes clearer. I hope they will continue to do so.

To be fair they were his own words...

Following crisis talks to save the F1 season, in which two-day race weekends were suggested, Brawn also laid out if the campaign can begin in July then the new calendar would put together “three races on, one weekend off” which would provide logistically capabilities and enough time to put on a 19-race season – effectively the whole calendar minus the Australian GP and Monaco GP which have already been cancelled plus one other race.

“If we were able to start at the beginning of July we could do a 19-race season. [It would be] tough - three races on, one weekend off, three races on, one weekend off,” Brawn said.

“We have looked at all the logistics, and we think we can hold an 18-19 race season if we can get started at the beginning of July. The choice is between those two numbers.

[Moneyseeker]

Originally Posted by Adam43

I forgot how they said they were definitely going to have 19 races.

They are still aiming for as many races as possible. As time goes on the situation becomes clearer. I hope they will continue to do so.

I completely agree it is pragmatic and by doubling up at Austria and Silverstone they will get in 8 races by September and could then declare a WDC and WCC if they can't travel any further.

Personally I think less bullish is good and my concern before was when FOM was declaring as an ambition a calendar that was completely out of their control to implement, so reeling in expectation and showing more caution/realism is a good thing.

IMO there are still plenty of event organisers selling tickets for events they 'know' will be cancelled , both locally to me and still around the UK, but that is another story!

[Adam43]

In that same interview he also talks about the minimum number of races required To be a championship
“Eight races is the minimum we can have a world championship, [according to] the FIA Statutes. We could achieve eight races by starting in October. So if you wanted a drop-dead point it would be October.
Surely that indicates that they aren’t dogmatic about 19 races! The reference to 18-19 seems to be that is possible from a logistic point of view.

If they hadn’t aimed high and just given up then we might not even be looking at 8 European races now. It is also organised in a way that allows for the potential of races post this calendar if possible.

It could all go pear shaped, but they have put themselves in the best position they could be. And that is what shareholders care about.

[Richard C]

I expect the answer is "will not be an issue", but given the public financial troubles for Williams and now McLaren. Will there be issues financing mid-season race operations? In short, will they be able to afford to travel to the races, pay staff, etc.

With eight races being the minimum for the championship, would it actually be cheaper for teams to run a schedule much closer to eight than a larger schedule?

Richard

[Adam43]

It would be cheaper for them, but I assume the income will be lower too.

[bjohnsonsmith]

According to this, the F1 the calendar won't be finalised until the end of June and they are looking at 15 to 18 races, with the season concluding in December.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/n...endar/4800550/

[S griffin]

At least leaving it till the end of June gives us one more thing to look forward to.

[Adam43]

I love a good calendar announcement. A real highlight for me. This year has been great so far for that.

[crmalcolm]

Are calendars the highlight of the, erm... calendar?

[Aysedasi]

They are now!

[RWill2073]

Open it all up guys, nothing to worry about anymore...

"Over 1,000 health professionals sign a letter saying, Don't shut down protests using coronavirus concerns as an excuse"

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn...rnd/index.html

A month ago, when it was protesting against the lockdowns...

"The Raleigh Police Department says "protesting is a non-essential activity" during this pandemic."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wra...%3fversion=amp

My governor:

"Gov. Whitmer marches in unity walk Thursday ahead of night 7 of protests"

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/gov...-7-of-protests

Just a few weeks ago....


"Whitmer pushed back Wednesday against protests at the Michigan Capitol, saying the events make it "much more precarious" for the state to reopen more of its economy."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.det...amp/5181975002

Wouldn't you know she held a press conference today, announcing opening more things up?.... Of course, not everything yet, but she says we are allowed to get a haircut again, so I guess I should thank my dear leader? Kind of hard to justify lockdowns when you support or participate in protests?

Guess it depends on the reason for the protests as to whether it is dangerous in the middle of a pandemic.

Rest assured, though, no racing allowed, as the detroit gp already cancelled.

[midgetman]

You had all those demonstrations and I must admit I got carried away with the UK hysteria - "Covidiots." Have you had a spike of infection again?

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

Guess it depends on the reason for the protests as to whether it is dangerous in the middle of a pandemic.

Who is saying that? Is anyone saying any type of protesters are immune? Or are you actually saying you agree with one type of protest and not the other?

Richard

[Moneyseeker]

Anyone see the R map of the UK today by region, it looks as if the R rate is largely rising again and has also risen in London to from 0.5 in April to 0.95 in June. In the SW it is now 1.0 and in the NW 1.1.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Moneyseeker

Anyone see the R map of the UK today by region, it looks as if the R rate is largely rising again and has also risen in London to from 0.5 in April to 0.95 in June. In the SW it is now 1.0 and in the NW 1.1.

It's only the beginning of June but still that means the R rate went up during the lockdown.

[Adam43]

A good summary on the beeb.
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52944037

Listen to Dr Funk.

[Armco Bender]

"Are we nearly there yet?"....

[Armco Bender]

I'm liking the Indycars idea of practice & race on the same day.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Armco Bender

I'm liking the Indycars idea of practice & race on the same day.

They did practice, qualifying and the race all on the same day.

[The Fat Clerk]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

They did practice, qualifying and the race all on the same day.

Apart from Takuma Sato

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by The Fat Clerk

Apart from Takuma Sato

He did practice and a bit of qualifying, before his customary crash, so a little harsh.

[RWill2073]

A race track in North Carolina held a race with 2000 spectators. Called it a protest to make it legal ;p

Holy crap, I thought it was a joke when I first heard it. This is our answer guys! Do it f1, IndyCar, baseball, everything! Looooollll.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc11.c...olina/6237137/

[Richard C]

Interesting article about Mercedes practicing social distancing protocols and how to make that work within F1. It's good to see the teams fine tuning the details to make this work.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/m...ncing/4803055/

Richard

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

A race track in North Carolina held a race with 2000 spectators. Called it a protest to make it legal ;p

Holy crap, I thought it was a joke when I first heard it. This is our answer guys! Do it f1, IndyCar, baseball, everything! Looooollll.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc11.c...olina/6237137/

i dont know all the details and the link doesnt provide too many details (maybe they were genuine in their desire to protest) but personally and without knowing all the facts, exploiting this situation and diminishing the very real issues people are standing up for makes me upset.

my own personal opinion is that any sport/venue i currently follow and support doing likewise would result in losing me as a customer forever.

maybe others feel the way i do, maybe they dont..to each their own of course.