Shortening a race weekend to two days and running the Formula One season into January next year are among the radical solutions being considered to get the sport racing again, according to Ferrari’s Mattia Binotto.
The first eight races of this year have been cancelled or postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic and F1’s chief executive, Chase Carey, has insisted the sport is committed to holding a 2020 championship, with the season beginning in the summer under a revised calendar of between 15 and 18 Grands Prix. The Canadian Grand Prix on 14 June is listed as the first race at present but even if that is possible then starting that late leaves a limited period of time to hold the subsequent meetings and reschedule those that have been postponed.
Since Grand Prix weekends consist of three days – two practice sessions on Friday, practice and qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday – to hold more meetings in a condensed period, F1, the FIA and the teams are considering changing the established format.
“We are engaged in constant dialogue,” Binotto, Ferrari’s principal, told Sky Sports Italia. “I have felt, along with the other team principals, that these are crucial moments. With regards to the timetable, we have given Carey and the FIA the freedom to define the calendar as they need to under these conditions. We can also have two-day weekends, with free practice moved to Saturday morning, so that we can meet the logistical needs in case of grands prix being close together.”
A minimum of eight races are required for a world championship. The current calendar concludes in Abu Dhabi on 29 November but Binotto believes rolling races into 2021 is now a viable option.“These are all places where we, as a team, need to ensure maximum availability,” he said when asked about extending the season into next year.
“If this allows us to guarantee a more complete 2020 world championship, with the following season not starting until March, there is great availability for that.”
Coronavirus continues to threaten the calendar, however. The race in Canada is in peril, given the country has closed its borders, with a decision to be made about its staging expected in the next two weeks. That would leave France on 28 June as the next scheduled race, but that, too, is vulnerable. The Le Mans 24 hours set for 14 June has already been postponed. 
British Grand Prix 
cancellation dependent 
on length of lockdown 
Meanwhile, the fate of this year’s British Grand Prix is dependent on how long the national lockdown is enforced. The meeting at Silverstone, due to take place on the weekend of 17-19 July, requires 12 weeks notice to prepare and the managing director of the circuit, Stuart Pringle, has said this could not begin with things as they currently are in the country.
“Sooner rather than later we’re going to have to make a decision,” Pringle told the GPFans website. “But 12 weeks is the drop-dead date to get things prepared.” 
That would require work to begin on 20 April, one week after the lockdown is due to end. However if the restrictions are extended, Silverstone would be unable to prepare for the race. “We would begin preparations with site infrastructure stuff, the marquees and things like that,” said Pringle. “But if we’re locked down and people can’t travel in, then that’s going to make the decision for us.” 
Motorsport UK has suspended all racing from the end of April to the end of June. All the major summer sport events in Britain are under threat. Wimbledon, set to begin on 29 June, is expected to be called off and the Open from July 16-19 at Royal St George’s is understood to be considering postponement.
Pringle insisted Silverstone would continue to pursue every opportunity to hold the race. “It’s not our decision alone,” he said. “We wouldn’t do anything without agreement with Formula One. We’re in very close communication, we’re trying to find the right answer. The easy thing is to say: ‘Well, it’s not possible is it?’. Actually, very extreme action is being taken at the moment, and we might yet get on top of things rather quicker than they have previously indicated.”