Ferrari starts its shutdown period immediately

The Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow team announced yesterday that it has accepted FIA’s decision to bring the summer break forward and has already commenced its official shutdown.

With the ongoing crises caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus, Formula One has been forced to reshuffle its calendar for the 2020 championship season. The sport announced the delay of several races earlier including the Australian, the Bahrain, the Vietnamese, the Chinese Grand Prix with the decision having been announced yesterday that the following trio of rounds – Dutch, Spanish and Monaco Grand Prix – have also been postponed.

In order to find new space during the congested 2020 F1 calendar, the FIA and Liberty Media have proposed the reorganisation of the traditional summer break that usually takes place during August between the Hungarian and the Belgian Grand Prix. The World Motor Sport Council has approved a change to the 2020 FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations, moving the summer shutdown period from July and August to March and April and extending it from 14 to 21 days.

The Italian team announced yesterday that it began its official shutdown on March 19 that will end on 8 April. However, the break has not changed much for the scarlet red outfit as work has been suspended in the Marenallo facility since last Sunday due to the critical situation in Italy.

„We are just as disappointed as our fans that we cannot be racing, as we have done for over 70 years, but when confronted by a situation as serious as this one, it is vital that we follow the advice of the authorities and limit all activities as much as possible in order to contain the virus as efficiently as possible.”

„We will wait for the situation to improve so that we can return to normality, in our daily lives as well as in sport, including motor racing. In the meantime, our thoughts are with everyone affected by the virus and those working on the front line to combat it,” Ferrari’s statement read.