Entering August, the F1 2020 schedule still isn’t settled.
It’s extraordinary for a non-sports issue to top the list of sports topics, but that has happened this year because of COVID-19. Games and events have been canceled, seasons have been shortened, and live events are taking place without fans in the stands.
In Formula 1, we’ve seen several races postponed or canceled, and other tracks have doubled-up by running races in consecutive weeks. That happened recently in Austria, and it will happen this week and next in Britain.
But amid turmoil during an exceptionally unusual season, one thing remains constant: F1 is desperate to have at least 18 races, wherever they may be run.
There still isn’t a response from China about hosting a Grand Prix race, and Vietnam may still be in the picture. If a race is held there, then only Bahrain and Abu Dhabi (season finale) are competitions left on the docket. That schedule would put the final total of Grand Prix races to 16–but only if all goes well.
And there’s more complexity when it comes to the Americas. Brazil’s contract with F1 ends this year. Could it be the last race there? Or will Rio, which used to hold a Grand Prix race, take its place? As far as Austin, the circuit only has its contract until the end of next year, while Canada is good until 2024.
Perhaps the best way to look at 2020 is to conclude that it’s better to race somewhere than not to race at all. That said, know that Barcelona is in the grips of a virus outbreak at a time when a race is scheduled to be run in mid-August.
It all adds up to this: it will be interesting to see how the F1 schedule shakes out. And that conclusion doesn’t apply to 2020 only. Include 2021 in the equation, too.
