Formula One motorsport manager Ross Brawn has said he is not opposed to scrapping the winter break in order to reshuffle the 2020 calendar.
The season was due to begin today with the Australian Grand Prix. However, the event was cancelled indefinitely in response to a rapidly developing coronavirus pandemic.
The cancellation was immediately followed by the postponement of both the Bahrain and Vietnam Grands Prix.
It has now become evident that the most appropriate time to start the season will be in early June with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
“I think by freeing up the August break, we give ourselves several weekends where we can have a race,” Brawn told Sky F1 in an exclusive interview. “And I think we can build a pretty decent calendar for the rest of the year.”
“It will look different, but it will still preserve a good number of races, and they’re exciting races. So the season’s going to start later, but I think it will be just as entertaining.”
The Australian Grand Prix is highly unlikely to not be rescheduled, with similar fates for the Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix expected.
However, Brawn has alluded to the possibility of the series running more condensed race weekends to take the pressure off teams.
“One thing we have been talking about is two-day weekends, and therefore if we have a triple header with two-day weekends, that could be an option,”
he said.
“I think what we need from the teams this year is flexibility, I think they’ve got to give some scope to do these things. Because we are in very unusual circumstances, and we’ve got to make sure we’ve got a season that gives a good economic opportunity for the teams.
“For sure we’re going to have a quiet start. I’m sure the teams will be flexible to allow us to fit those things in.”