Formula One season could be suspended until June

Formula One bosses have discussed suspending the start of the new season until June after the Australian Grand Prix canceled.

The sport’s traditional curtain-raiser at Melbourne’s Albert Park officially axed just 90 minutes before practice was due to begin on Friday following McLaren’s withdrawal from the event after one of their mechanics tested positive for coronavirus.

Although next weekend’s behind-closed-doors race in Bahrain is yet to be formally called off, it is understood that the view of the sport’s traveling circus is to delay the campaign until the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, penciled in for June 7, at the earliest.

As it stands, the season is due to end in Abu Dhabi on November 29, however, PA news agency now understands that the race could be pushed back until December to allow room for next month’s postponed Chinese Grand Prix and the inaugural race in Vietnam, currently penciled in for April 5, to be squeezed back into a rejigged calendar.

The Dutch Grand Prix, the first in Holland for 36 years, is due to take place on May 3, but that might now be moved to August, with the sport’s customary summer break scrapped. Eighteen races may be staged in six months.

The historic Monaco Grand Prix, set for May 24, could become the sport’s biggest casualty, while there may also be no room for the races in Bahrain and Spain. There are no plans for the round here in Melbourne to reschedule it for later in the year.

“The scale of this is massive,” said F1 motorsport boss Ross Brawn. “We want to try and build the Formula One season back up, but we have to be realistic when that can start again.