Formula One bosses planning ‘double or triple-header’ at Silverstone in July as they hope to FINALLY start the season at the Austrian Grand Prix
The British Grand Prix could host up to three grand prix in quick succession as Formula One bosses look to get the 2020 season started.
As a result of the coronavirus, the first nine races have all been postponed or cancelled as F1 faces a moving target as it seeks a start date, with the French GP on June 28 likely to follow.
But during a meeting between F1 bosses on Thursday, there was potential hope given to start the season in July.
Formula One bosses are considering hosting three races at the Silverstone F1 meeting
As reported by the Evening Standard, Formula One bosses are hoping to start the season in Austria on July 3-5.
This would be followed by a blockbuster event at Silverstone which could see a ‘double or triple-header’ of grand prix later that month.
Both events however would still likely be held behind closed doors to prevent a mass gathering of fans with the pandemic going on.
F1 bosses are desperate to start the season in order to rescue their financially-crippled teams.
As it stands, they want to cram 15 to 18 aces into the remainder of the year, potentially even going into next January.
And they have been given positive news by Austria who this week became one of the first European countries to loosen restrictions by allowing thousands of shops to re-open.
So far the first nine race meetings of the season have been either postponed or cancelled
Meanwhile the UK government announced a three-week extension on its social distancing guidelines.
The meeting was also held to talks about the ongoing budget cap issues for the next two seasons and beyond though no agreement was met.
With the suspension of racing, five of the seven British-based teams – McLaren, Williams, Haas, Renault and Racing Point have put staff on furlough.
The sport-wide factory closure has also been extended until the end of May.
Owners Liberty Media have also furloughed a number of their employees too, with chief executive Chase Carey taking a pay cut of more than 20 per cent.