“A Financial Disaster”- Former FIA President Slams F1 and Its Approach to the Coronavirus Crisis

Former FIA boss Max Mosley believes F1 is employing the wrong approach in dealing with the Coronavirus crisis. Mosley thinks that playing the waiting game will only make matters worse for the sport. The Briton also dismissed F1’s idea to hold races under closed doors as a disaster.

Mosley terms F1 and its plans a ‘disaster’

F1 has canceled or postponed 9 races in 2020 due to COVID-19. The current season is yet to get underway and still lacks a concrete start date. According to the rumor mill, F1 may also postpone the French Grand Prix in the coming weeks as the country battles the epidemic.

Another delayed race pushes the season opener to July with the Austrian Grand Prix. Experts are divided on when the season will officially begin and how many rounds the sport can hold. F1 remains confident of holding races after July but with no spectators. However, others say the sport will only resume by August or September if the conditions improve.

Formula One’s solution is to hold the first few rounds in Europe under closed doors as a safety measure. The sport plans to conduct multiple race weekends in a single month to squeeze in a few Grands Prix.  Many believe the sport’s ambitious target of holding 19 races and a complete Championship this season may be a bit rich.

Former FIA president Max Mosley asserted that a race with no fans is the worst possible thing for F1. The Briton also questioned F1’s current approach to watch and wait. Speaking to the German Press Agency, Mosley said:

“If you wait and see, you risk worsening the situation without having the certainty that you will win something”

“There is no guarantee that the races will start again in July and it is actually becoming increasingly less likely,”

“Act now and to use the opportunity to reorganize and restructure Formula 1 in order to put it on a much more solid financial basis for the future”

“That would be a financial disaster for most race organizers,” said Mosley as quoted by Sport1 when asked about F1′ s proposed idea regarding races without fans.

While holding races without spectators is the wise option at the moment, it also entails a major blow to circuit organizers and their revenue stream.