Bernie Ecclestone Calls for F1 to Cancel All Races This Year

Former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone claimed he wouldn’t run this season at all if given a choice. The 89-year-old ran the sport for over 2 decades and has had his share of controversy and difficult situations. The Briton also revealed a possible solution should there be no racing in 2020.

Ecclestone believes 2020 is a lost cause

Following the postponement of several Grands Prix, CEO Chase Carey made a bold claim for the remainder of the season. Carey asserted that the sport was considering at least 15 races and a maximum of 18 once the season begins. 18 seems a bit too optimistic at this stage but let’s consider 15 races as a starting point.

With Azerbaijan postponed, Canada takes over as the location for the first race of the season. Unfortunately, a race seems highly unlikely in the North American country unless conditions drastically improve. The same applies to the French Grand Prix, which is scheduled after the Montreal race.

This makes Austria in July a strong possibility to host the season’s opener. That gives F1 give or take 5 months to squeeze in 15 odd races. As a result, Formula One must hold many back to back race weekends. A task that easier said than done – not to mention the logistics nightmare for teams.

One of the many options for F1 is to revive triple headers. Formula One last held three back to back races in 2018 – a move that didn’t go down to well with the teams.

Triple headers greatly strain team mechanics who form the heart of the team. This could be a feasible option for the European races but is a stressful proposition for races held across time zones.

F1 races in January?

Another possible option includes carrying over the current season to 2021 and holding a few races during the traditional winter break. Ecclestone sees this solution as a serious option for the sport.

Speaking to Reuters, Ecclestone said:

“Today what would I do? I think I’d have to say we’re going to close down talk of having any races this year,

“They could run three or four races at the beginning of next year and still count to the 2020 championship.

This has been a long and painful wait for F1 fans. The shutdown isn’t over yet but we’ll have to make do with some classic races for now.