The FIA has confirmed Formula 1’s ongoing factory shutdown will be extended after an e-vote on Tuesday.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, it was decided to bring forward the traditional August summer shutdown to potentially open up new dates for races and help teams like Ferrari, who are undergoing very strict lockdown measures in Italy.
Currently, every team is in the midst of an initial three-week shutdown, which had to be observed before the end of April, but now an additional two weeks will be added, with the deadline expected to until the end of May.
The measures apply to both teams and engine suppliers but don’t include operations like the ongoing ‘Project Pitlane’, which incorporates six UK-based F1 outfits coming together in the fight to produce medical supplies.
The FIA noted there was room to extend the shutdown further if agreed.
In the crisis meeting on Monday, however, a request by Red Bull to delay the already postponed regulation changes from 2022 to 2023 was rejected
While talks also began on possibly lowering the $175m budget cap next year, with McLaren putting forward a figure of $100m but running into opposition from Red Bull and Ferrari, who claim it would hurt some teams running different business models.
No further decisions were taken on race postponements, though the Canadian Grand Prix is expected to be postponed in the coming week with others event following suit later this month.
