Revised 2020 Formula 1 calendar announced – Silverstone primed to host two races in August

F1 organisers take first tentative steps confirming a behind-closed-doors season opening from 5 July

Formula 1 organisers have confirmed a start date for the revised 2020 F1 calendar, with the opening round due to be held at the Red Bull Ring in Austria from 3 July. In keeping with the proposed calendar F1 organisers announced last month, these initial European rounds will be held behind closed doors without spectators.

In order to try to make up for the events cancelled so far, the European rounds at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone will consist of back-to-back race weekends, the latter from 31 July to 2 August, and then 7-9 August.

Rounds in Hungary (Hungaroring, 17-19 July), Barcelona (14-16 August), Belgium (Spa, 28-30 August) and Italy (Monza, 4-6 September) make up the rest of the reformatted European calendar.

> 2021 Formula 1 regulations revealed: the biggest step yet?

F1 organisers will release the remainder of the 2020 season in the coming weeks, reassessing the situation as the season moves to the American, Asian and Middle Eastern rounds that traditionally make up the second half of the calendar. Whether these rounds will be able to be run with spectators present will depend on the specific circumstances of each location and the Covid-19 health regulations at the time regarding social distancing and sporting events, but by the end of 2020, F1 organisers expect somewhere between 15 and 18 races to have been run.

There have been rumours of a reformatting of race weekends to run ‘sprint races’ on the Saturday in lieu of traditional qualifying with a reverse grid, but reports have surfaced of Mercedes-Petronas boss Toto Wolff being against the idea due to it being disproportionately unfair for the front-running teams. Rule changes made within the current season must be unanimously agreed upon by all the teams, meaning this change of format is unlikely to be realised.

Partnership
Need to sell your car?
Find your best offer from over 5,000+ dealers. It’s that easy.

While a return to racing is a welcome boost to F1 fans, both British weekends will need to adhere to government regulations on working practices, quarantine rules and social distancing. If these terms are not met, it might still affect the British rounds, especially considering the UK’s shallower downward infection rate curve compared to that of the rest of continental Europe. But while it’s now certain we won’t be able to attend an F1 round in Europe this year, we do finally have some sporting events to look forward to while watching from home.

Most Popular

Car pictures of the week: evo’s Car of the Year contenders
eCoty – the contenders
Features

Car pictures of the week: evo’s Car of the Year contenders

evo’s Car of the Year issue hits newsstands next week – here's a preview of what you can expect
2 Dec 2023
Best car tyres 2023: evo performance tyre test
Best car tyres 2023
Features

Best car tyres 2023: evo performance tyre test

Which tyre should you choose for your performance car? This year’s evo tyre test puts eight strong contenders through their paces to find the very bes…
1 Dec 2023
The Tesla Cybertruck has finally landed, but it’s more expensive than promised
Tesla Cybertruck
News

The Tesla Cybertruck has finally landed, but it’s more expensive than promised

After years of setbacks, Tesla has delivered the first production examples of its controversial Cybertruck pick-up
1 Dec 2023