Formula 1 motorsport director Ross Brawn says the sport could hold six races in seven weeks to start the 2020 season from July.
As it stands, the first nine races of the year have either been postponed or cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with the French Grand Prix on June 28 now the earliest event scheduled.
However, speaking to Sky Sports, Brawn indicated that event too will not take place as planned but did promise a relentless early flurry of action.
“If we were to start at the beginning of July, we could do a 19-race season,” he claimed boldly. “It’s tough, three races on, weekend off, three races on, weekend off – but we’ve looked at all the logistics.
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“Our view is that probably a European start would be favourable, and that could even be a closed event [to spectators].
“We could have a very closed environment where teams come in on charter [flights], we channel them into the circuit, we make sure everyone’s tested, cleared, there’s no risk to everyone and we have a race without spectators.
“That’s not great, but I think it’s still better than no racing at all.”
Currently, the one race that seems more determined than any to go ahead as planned in the Austrian GP on July 5, with reports Red Bull is unwilling to even consider a change of date.
The British GP, which would likely be the last part of the first triple-header on July 19, is considered less likely to go ahead, though a final decision is expected later this month.
While it’s more than likely the Dutch GP would fill the July 12 spot, given the potential for hot weather in Spain in mid-summer.
Of course, all of this depends on how the coronavirus pandemic develops in the coming weeks, with signs some countries are now reaching their peak.
But as much as Brawn hopes F1 can have a near-full season, he also admits the main target is to simply have a valid championship in 2020.
“Eight races would be the minimum, and we could achieve eight races by starting in October,” he said.
“There’s always the possibility we could run into next year. That’s being explored and we could stray into January to finish the season, though there’s all sorts of complications with that.
“The choice this year is anything between eight and 19.”