The 2020 Formula 1 season is tantalisingly close to a return with the first Grand Prix of the season taking place in days.
The stunning hills of Spielberg will provide a dramatic backdrop for the opening race – the Austrian Grand Prix – with drivers, teams and fans craving a piece of motorsport action.
Traditionally, the Australian Grand Prix opens the race calendar, but was cancelled on the eve of practice in March after one of the F1 team members fell ill with the virus.
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Races are to be held behind closed doors and rigorous testing will take place among the minimal personnel to be deployed at races for the foreseeable future.
Drivers and staff will also travel in ‘isolation’ to minimise the risk of picking up the virus in transit.
However, once cars slide onto the grid, the rip-roaring action we’ve wholly accustomed to will commence and we can’t wait! The thought of that first corner in that first race will be enough excitement to see you through the week.
Check out everything you need to know about the F1 restart including full race calendar and TV details below.
Exclusive: In The Pit Lane with David Croft – Austrian Grand Prix
When is F1 back?
Are you ready? The Formula 1 season is raring to go with a new start confirmed.
Practice will take place in Austria on Friday 3rd July with the Grand prix taking place two days later on Sunday 5th July.
It will have been 110 days since the Australian Grand Prix was supposed to open up the season, but fans will just be relieved to finally get some action going on the track.
F1 latest news
Kerbs have been removed from the final two corners at the Red Bull Ring ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix to limit bodywork damage while teams are running low on spare parts.
Some teams have voiced concerns over shortages of certain parts due to the coronavirus lockdown, and organisers in Austria have moved to ease the burden by altering the track.
Lewis Hamilton damaged his front wing after repeatedly sweeping too wide on the final corner due to an issue with the Mercedes car in Spielberg last year.
The move is unlikely to alter too many teams’ plans, but will offer a little more mercy to those drivers feeling their way back into the cockpit after a long absence.
F1 2020 calendar
Round 1 – Austrian Grand Prix #1
Date: 3rd – 5th July
Track: Red Bull Ring
Watch on Sky Sports F1 / NOW TV
Lewis Hamilton begins the hunt for his seventh world title when the 2020 F1 season finally gets underway in Austria this week.
Like many sports returning to action, there’s an air of unpredictability going into the first race under lockdown restrictions.
Check out the link to our full race preview – including a comprehensive TV schedule – ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix. Plus the first of our exclusive In The Pit Lane chats with David Croft ahead of the race.
Round 2 – Austrian Grand Prix #2
Date: 10th – 12th July
Track: Red Bull Ring
Watch on Sky Sports F1 / NOW TV
Round 3 – Hungarian Grand Prix
Date: 17th – 19th July
Track: Hungaroring
Watch on Sky Sports F1 / NOW TV
Round 4 – British Grand Prix #1
Date: 31st July – 2nd August
Track: Silverstone
Watch on Sky Sports F1 / NOW TV / Channel 4
Round 5 – British Grand Prix #2
Date: 7th – 9th August
Track: Silverstone
Watch on Sky Sports F1 / NOW TV
Round 6 – Spanish Grand Prix
Date: 14th – 16th August
Track: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Watch on Sky Sports F1 / NOW TV
Round 7 – Belgian Grand Prix
Date: 28th – 30th August
Track: Spa
Watch on Sky Sports F1 / NOW TV
Round 8 – Italian Grand Prix
Date: 4th – 6th September
Track: Monza
Watch on Sky Sports F1 / NOW TV
To be updated with more races…
What about the rest of the F1 2020 calendar?
By the end of this calendar, eight races will have taken place instead of the originally planned 15.
A further seven races were due to be held after 6th September – the date for the Italian Grand Prix – and they can all be expected to go ahead in some capacity, potentially within the same time frame as originally intended.
However, the eight races confirmed are all based in Europe, making the complex logistics easier to navigate than the final stretch of the calendar – a world tour ranging from Singapore to Brazil, from Russia to Mexico.
Much will depend on whether the restart is a smooth one, and if it goes off without a hitch, the case will build for more races further afield, by which point the progress of the virus may have hopefully slowed.
Formula 1 on TV
You can watch every practice, qualifying and race session live on Sky Sports F1.
Sky customers can add individual channels for just £18 per month or add the complete sports package to their deal for just £23 per month.
One race – the British Grand Prix on 2nd August – will be shown live on Channel 4.
Formula 1 live stream online
You can watch F1 races with a Sky Sports day pass for £9.99 or a month pass for £33.99, all without signing up to a contract.
NOW TV can be streamed through a computer or apps found on most smart TVs, phones and consoles. NOW TV is also available via BT Sport.
Existing Sky Sports customers can live stream the Grands Prix via the Sky Go app on a variety of devices.
Which F1 races have been cancelled?
The list of cancelled F1 races in 2020 are as follows:
- Australian Grand Prix – 15th March
- Bahrain Grand Prix – 22nd March
- Vietnam Grand Prix – 5th April
- Chinese Grand Prix – 19th April
- Dutch Grand Prix – 3rd May
- Spanish Grand Prix – 10th May
- Monaco Grand Prix – 24th May
- Azerbaijan Grand Prix – 7th June
- Canadian Grand Prix – 14th June
- French Grand Prix – 28th June
- Singapore Grand Prix – 20th September
- Japanese Grand Prix – 11th October
A total 0f 12 cancelled races would have cut the calendar down to just 10 Grands Prix. However, with F1 bosses adding back-t0-back weekends in Britain and Austria, the total should be higher than that.
Which F1 drivers will be racing?
Mercedes
- Lewis Hamilton – #44
- Valtteri Bottas – #77
Ferrari
- Sebastian Vettel – #5
- Charles Leclerc – #16
Red Bull
- Alex Albon – #23
- Max Verstappen – #33
McLaren
- Lando Norris – #4
- Carlos Sainz – #55
Renault
- Daniel Ricciardo – #3
- Esteban Ocon – #31
Toro Rosso
- Pierre Gasly – #10
- Daniil Kvyat – #26
Racing Point
- Sergio Perez – #11
- Lance Stroll – #18
Alfa Romeo
- Kimi Raikkonen – #7
- Antonio Giovinazzi – #99
Haas
- Romain Grosjean – #8
- Kevin Magnussen – #20
Williams
- George Russell – #63
- Nicholas Latifi – #6
When will the Formula 1 season end?
As mentioned, teams will hope the season will end around the same time as originally expected in November.
If logistics can’t be worked out given the coronavirus situation in the months to come, more races face the potential of cancellation, though it’s more likely they will be relocated to ensure as many races as possible can go ahead.
In theory, the season could extend further than anticipated, but organisers will be determined to impact next season as little as possible.
What will happen with F1 2021? News and rumours
We’ll keep you posted throughout the season with the latest news and rumours about the 2021 season. For now, the season is expected to start as usual in February with 18 races on the billing and several more to be announced.
As for drivers, Sebastian Vettel will leave Ferrari to be replaced by Carlos Sainz Jr. That opened the door for Daniel Ricciardo to switch from Renault to McLaren ahead of 2021.
There are likely to be plenty more twists and turns before next season comes around, but for now, we can soak up the 2020 season in all its modified glory!
If you’re looking for something else to watch before and after the drama on the track, check out our TV guide.
from Radio Times https://ift.tt/2VQvfl0
