FORMULA ONE chiefs could host more European races this season after being forced to scrap Grands Prix in Japan, Singapore and Azerbaijan.
F1’s MD Ross Brawn says they are looking at new and existing venues to pad out the season to between 15 and 18 GPs.
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The GP in Singapore is among the latest to be axed for the 2020 season along with the race in Azerbaijan and JapanCredit: EPA
SunSport understands that tracks at Mugello, Imola, Portimao in Portugal, and Hockenheim are all in the running to host F1 races.
Brawn said: “Things are moving fast, but we still have time. We have lots of different options and we’re very confident we’re going to have a great second half of the season.
“But there is no point making the statement yet as there are still some moving parts we need to put together.
“There is a contingency to have an extended European season with another one or two races if needed.
“I think Bahrain and Abu Dhabi will be the backstop of the season from what we can see at the moment.
“That gives us ten. We’ll find at least five or six good races in the middle.
“Every aspect has been considered, and I think we can have a very good second half of the season.
“There will be some races which don’t happen, might be some races we put in, but there’s lots going on.
“There are a number of good European tracks where we could add another one or two races on to make sure we have a comprehensive season.”
The loss of the Singapore GP and Azerbaijan GP is a blow to F1 chiefs, Liberty Media, but the logistics involved in construction a street circuit during the coronavirus pandemic are proving too difficult to overcome.
Japanese GP bosses at Suzuka were confident of hosting their race in October but that too has been shelved due to travel restrictions being in place.
The sport has already stated its plan to host eight races in Europe – starting in Austria on July 5 – yet all will be behind closed doors.
And Brawn says they will now take their time to construct the remainder of the calendar, which could be open to fans later in the year.
He added: “What we really want to avoid is announcing [the calendar] and changing it.
“We also need to announce it in enough time so people can make plans.
“We hope some races in the second half of the season will have spectators, so we need time for ticket sales and promotion to take place.”
The season is likely to conclude in Abu Dhabi with the penultimate race in Bahrain, which could host two races.
Brawn said: “One of the nice attractions of Bahrain is it has many configurations, so we could go to Bahrain and race on two different tracks there.
“There’s a nice sort of almost oval track that would be quite exciting, and all the layouts have a Grade One licence with the FIA, so that is an option in the pocket.
“Using two configurations involves quite a lot of work for the riggers — for example the timing needs setting up for two tracks so you need plenty of notice. That’s something we have to take into account.”
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Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
