Rescheduling the 2020 Formula One Season has become a top priority for the FIA. This was proven with a recent announcement that confirmed the European Summer Break would be terminated. For this season exclusively, this break period will be rescheduled into March and April. This will ensure that the financial impact of Covid-19 to Formula One will be minimal. The influential factor of this announcement is that Manufacturing Facilities creating F1 Cars for various teams will be shut down for three weeks during April. This will force each respective side to alter their manufacturing estimations for the 2021 Season.
The Formula International Association provided formal statements regarding this announcement. It was confirmed that the change was approved into 2020 Regulations once delegations were held with the Motorsports Council. Analysts expected pushback from organizations like Ferrari or Alpha Romeo but were pleasantly shocked to learn that all teams unanimously agreed to this decision. Agreements extended to the F1 Commission and F1 Strategy Group. Selecting this option enables for previously cancelled Grand Prix’s to be rescheduled for the summer period.
This announcement doesn’t affect the large-scale outfits in Formula One. However, it does benefit smaller teams like Alpha Tauri or Williams. The financial impact surrounding Covid-19 will prompt limited revenue, and some believe additional measures should be implemented to ensure smaller units are secure. Conference calls will be held on Thursday to ensure F1 Senior Management and the FIA reduce the operating costs. Refusal will cost all outfits substantial funds without any returns.
Changes to Regulation
Radical alterations in the technical regulations will be required. Considering that F1 Teams can spend unlimited figures on their respective vehicles during the 2020 Season, team representatives are suggesting that the 2021 Regulations be implemented early. This would reduce costs to $125 Million per team. However, F1 Teams are saving funds during this shutdown period. The associated fee of travelling, renting wind tunnels, paying for specialized racing fuel and many other expenses have been disposed of within the last month. It’s not known when these teams will be permitted to operate again, with the Spanish and Monaco Grand Prix’s expected to be postponed as well. We’ll keep our readers informed of any updates.