Chase Carey has issued a statement following the latest meeting as he states teams’ approval is not required for revised F1 2020 calendar.
The COVID-19 virus has disrupted seemingly everything in modern life, and F1 – a sport where thousands of participants gather for each event – is no exception. As such, countless races have been either postponed or cancelled, with Australia, Bahrain, Vietnam, China, Netherlands, Spain, and Monaco all having been impacted in some way.
Some races will be cancelled fully, like Monaco has been. However, most of the others have an unclear future ahead of them. And, if these races are unable to go forward, the 2020 F1 season may only have 14 races – a sub-optimal amount.
To prevent such a low quantity of races occurring in 2020, F1, the FIA, and race organisers have been attempting to salvage as much as they can. Part of this process is adapting the schedule to try and cram in the races at another point, if it’s possible.
As they do this, though, F1 e and the parties involved in the GP’s will not require formal approval from teams. This is a unique thing, and something that will allow them to make more drastic changes without running into an issue like a political gridlock.
Here’s the full statement from Chase Carey:
“Following a meeting convened today between Formula 1, The FIA and all ten Formula 1 Team Principals I wanted to provide an update on what was discussed and agreed.
“During this exceptional time and following several race postponements and the World Motorsport Council’s (WMSC) unanimous decision to move the Formula 1 Summer break forward to March and April, we and the FIA discussed with the teams the need for extra flexibility to accommodate a rescheduled season once the COVID-19 situation improves.
“At the meeting there was full support for the plans to reschedule as many of the postponed races as possible as soon as it is safe to do so. Formula 1 and the FIA will now work to finalise a revised 2020 calendar and will consult with the teams, but as agreed at the meeting the revised calendar will not require their formal approval. This will give us the necessary flexibility to agree revised timings with affected race promoters and to be ready to start racing at the right moment.
“In addition, as announced by the FIA, it was agreed unanimously at the meeting that the implementation of the Technical Regulations due to take effect from the 2021 season will be postponed until 2022. Due to the currently volatile financial situation this has created, it has been agreed that teams will use their 2020 chassis for 2021, with the potential freezing of further components to be discussed in due course. The introduction and implementation of the Financial Regulations will go ahead as planned in 2021.
“We are all very grateful for the collaborative nature of the discussions and fully united approach from all parties to get racing in 2020 as soon as the current global situation subsides. Formula 1 remains fully committed to launching a 2020 season as soon as possible.”
Best wishes,
Chase Carey
Here’s news on F1 deferring 2021 regs to 2022
Here’s confirmation on Dutch and Spain postponement, Monaco cancelled
Here’s the latest from Vietnam GP about tickets
Here’s news on early F1 shutdown
Here’s Chase Carey apologising F1 fans
The story was edited by Darshan Chokhani
