The promoters of Canadian GP have indicated that the decision about the 2020 F1 race will be taken by mid-April amid COVID-19 pandemic.
With the first seven F1 races done and dusted for now, the unofficial Round 1 of the 2020 season is set to be the Canadian GP as things stands on June 12-14 weekend. Initially, the Dutch GP was taken as first round but it then shifted to the Azerbaijan GP.
However, the Baku promoters confirmed its postponement, which left Canada as the next event. In a conference call held with media on Tuesday, Montreal Gazette reports that Octane Racing Group’s Francois Dumontier notified about their plans.
Canada has cancelled all non-essential events until April 13 and so the promoters have time until then to decide the fate of 2020 F1 Canadian GP. For now, Dumontier states that the grand prix is on schedule even though no one is on site.
As with everyone, people are working from home but if they are to prepare for the Canadian GP, they will soon have to get to the track. Dumontier is playing a waiting game but hasn’t ruled out a postponement if required as health will take precedence.
“We have a three-week window before we have to make a decision,” said Dumontier in a report on Montreal Gazette. “We would have to make a decision by Easter weekend and the premier has said all non-essential services are cancelled until April 13.
“If the situation has improved by then, we could go ahead and have the site ready on schedule for 2020 Canadian GP. All of our staff are working from home right now but we could mobilize quickly when we get the go-ahead.
“We’re in a better position than Monaco or Baku where they race through the city streets and have to build a track. We have the track. We’re optimistic but we also know things change by the hour, so we’re also realistic.
“The decision will be a common decision between Formula 1 and myself. At this point, we all hope the race can go on on June 14. We still hope the event can go as planned, but if not we will postpone it.”
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