The ongoing factory shutdowns of all teams and engine suppliers in Formula 1 has been extended due to the coronavirus.
As more races were postponed, an initial three-week period of closure was agreed by teams to free up August to hold events and to limit any advantage some teams may have gained from fewer lockdown measures in their respective countries.
A further two weeks was added at the start of April, but with no Grands Prix expected before the start of July at the earliest, it has now been decided to extend by four more weeks taking most teams to the end of May.
When the first lengthening was agreed, it was also announced engine suppliers would have to close their operations for an initial five-week period but now another fortnight has also been added to that shutdown.
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With this is expected to be the final extension, plans are also in place to restart operations, beginning with the R&D department.
“50 days after the start of their shutdown period, upon application by a competitor, and subject to the prior written approval of the FIA, each competitor may use the services of a maximum of 10 personnel to work remotely on long-lead-time projects,” the regulations state.
“The full details, including the names and job titles of all such personnel, all supporting material, and details of the work that such personnel will be undertaking must be provided to the FIA a minimum of 10 days prior to the commencement of any work.
“These personnel must not change for the remainder of the shutdown period and this work must not involve any work on projects related to the aerodynamics of the car.”
Similarly among the engine supplier, long-lead-time projects can restart, with permission, 36 days into the shutdown.