F1 season set to begin with eight European races

Following the postponement and cancellation of the first ten grands prix, the 2020 Formula 1 season is believed to get underway in Austria on July 5 with the Austrian Grand Prix that would be then followed by seven other European races.

Since the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix, the season has been put on hold. When the coronavirus situation started to show signs of improvements, Formula One Management began to establish an all-new calendar for the delayed 2020 F1 season. Formula One motorsport boss Ross Brawn has already indicated that the season could get underway in Austria with double-header races at two consecutive weekends.

The Austrian Grand Prix has been given the green light by the government. Austria’s Minister of Health Rudolf Anschober has revealed that the Promoter of the Austrian Grand Prix and the Formula One Management have been given the permission to arrange the race at Spielberg at the beginning of July, insisting that the grand prix is not considered as an event given the fact that it will take place without spectators.

"The organizer has presented a concept that is based on the special requirements of the Formula 1 GP and the necessary protective measures against the spread of the coronavirus,” he is quoted as saying by Austrian TV channel, ORF.

Following the season-opening two races at Spielberg, the original plan would have seen the field head to Silverstone, Great Britain for another double-header races. However, that plan has been in doubt since the British government announced that everyone entering the country must be quarantined for two weeks before being permitted to travel without restrictions.

In response to that, Formula One has moved the two rounds at Silverstone for later spots ont he revamped calendar while it rescheduled the Hungarian Grand Prix for July 19. It would mean that the month of July would incorporate three races before an intense rush begins in August.

After two races in the United Kingdom, Barcelona could play host to the sixth grand prix of the curtailed season. The European leg of the championship could finish with the Belgian and the Italian Grands Prix with both venue retaining their original dates.

With the uncertainity around the coronavirus situation in the United States, Mexico and Brazil, it is still unknown how the season could evolve after the European leg of the championship. However, it is believed that the 2020 campaign is set to conclude in the Gulf.

The provisional calendar of the 2020 F1 season is expected to be unveiled in the coming week.

The start of the latest edition of the provisional 2020 F1 calendar: