London: The 2020 F1 season could begin with an event held in Europe ‘behind closed doors’ without any fans, according to motorsport director Ross Brawn.
So far, nine races have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak, with the March 15 season-opening Australian Grand Prix cancelled along with May's showcase Monaco Grand Prix.
"Travel for the teams and travel for everyone involved is going to be one of the big issues. You could argue once we get there, we could become fairly self-contained. Our view is probably a European start will be favourable and that could even be a closed event," Brawn told a news website.
2020 F1 Season could start behind closed doors “We’d have a very closed environment, teams come in on charters [flights], we channel them into the circuit, we make sure everyone’s tested clear, there’s no risk going on and we’d have a race without spectators. That’s not great but it’s better than no race at all.”
F1 should explore the possibility of racing as soon as possible, even if it means doing so without spectators, to provide entertainment to its global fan base, said Brawn.
“We have to remember there’s millions of people who follow the sport sat a home isolating. To be able to put on a sport, keep the sport alive and entertain people would be a huge bonus in this crisis we have.
“But we can’t put anyone at risk. We’re looking at the organisational structure that would give us the earliest start. But also the ability to maintain that start. There’s no point having a start then stopping again for a while and having another start.
2020 F1 Season could start behind closed doors “But I think it’s most likely to be in Europe and it’s conceivable that it could be a closed event.”
F1 are already working with promoters on a revised 2020 calendar with the actual sequence and schedule dates for races likely to differ significantly from the original calendar amid the COVID-19 pandemic which has claimed thousands of lives across the world.
