This year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix will only be rescheduled if one condition is met, the organiser says.
The race on the streets of Baku was originally set to return to its initial date of June, after taking place in April in each of the past two seasons, but had to postpone due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
But while the climate of the Eurasian nation means it can be held up until “mid-October”, the lengthy and expensive set-up required to build the circuit and other facilities means Azerbaijan cannot risk repeating the events of Australia.
“We have agreed with F1 that we will only confirm a date on the calendar if the threat of another cancellation is behind us,” race organiser Arif Rahimov told Forbes.
“If F1 can meet our conditions, then I believe we can have another great Grand Prix, with no major negative impact on ticket sales.
“There will certainly be less races in the F1 calendar, meaning that fans might want to travel to the nearby race if their own race has been cancelled.”
Also Read:
- Italian GP boss: A stop/start 2020 F1 season would be a disaster
- F1 confirms ‘significantly’ different 2020 calendar will be published soon
While Rahimov is confident of attracting fans to Baku to enjoy what has become one of F1’s most unpredictable races, he is also aware some could be wary.
“There may be a social aftershock, where people will avoid public gatherings even after we, hopefully, defeat the COVID-19 virus,” he admitted.
“Additionally, the expected economic downturn means a reduction of household disposable income that is usually spent on entertainment.”
