Motorsport: Only simracing is safe 🎥
As expected, many races in the coming months have already been postponed or canceled altogether. Among them is the Monaco GP. But simracing is booming. So far, the 2020 Formula 1 drivers have only been used in the February tests in Barcelona, where they ran together. While public life has been suspended for the next [...] due to the spread of the corona virus, the [...
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The 2020 Formula 1 drivers have so far only been used in the February tests in Barcelona, where they ran together.
While public life has to be scaled back for the next few weeks due to the spread of the coronavirus, worldwide sport has come to a standstill in the meantime. In motorsport, hardly a wheel will turn in probably all countries in Europe and in many overseas until well into the summer.
On the other hand, simracing in all its variations, which we won't go into here, is experiencing a boom. Many professional racers are also increasingly keeping themselves in shape with simulator and fitness training in their homes.
No GP Monaco 2020
It is now clear that the Formula One World Championship will not start until the first weekend in June in Azerbaijan at the earliest. It is quite possible that the season will not start until July, August or the fall, not least because of the travel restrictions. Because no one can predict when and how the wave of Corona infections will subside, predictions about the return to normality and motorsport are pure speculation, so we'll stick to the facts.
Of the first seven Grands Prix, only Monaco (as well as the GP Historique two weeks earlier) has been definitively canceled for 2020 so far, and all the others have only been postponed. Of course, this also affects the FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 European Championships as well as the Porsche Supercup, whose calendar is also absolutely unclear at the moment.
The compulsory Formula 1 break planned for August has been brought forward to March and April. Each GP team must close its doors for at least three weeks during this period. The new technical regulations scheduled for 2021 will not give Formula 1 a new look until a year later.
Scope for WEC and Formula E
Two cross-season FIA championships should actually come to an end in the coming weeks and months. The World Endurance Championship can continue with the 24 Hours of Le Mans postponed to September (see Report) even if no alternative dates could be found for the cancelled 1000 miles of Sebring and 6 hours of Spa.
The situation is more critical for Formula E, which actually wants to resume its program on June 21 in Berlin. After that, only New York and London would be on the schedule in July. Since the seventh season in 2020/21 is not scheduled to begin until November, the late summer and fall months remain for some of the races that have already or not yet been postponed.
What will happen to the DTM?
It's almost eerily quiet around the DTM. The fact that it will start in Zolder (B) at the end of April is illusory, as are the other races in May. Behind the scenes, work is busily underway on a replacement calendar, which could well bring surprises.
As all other international and national championships are also affected by the consequences of the Corona crisis, there will be a concentration of race dates in the second half of the year and in winter.
Swiss motorsport athletes also have to wait
In Switzerland, all events in March and April have been cancelled so far. In May, after the cancellation of the ICSM slalom in Seewen, only the Bure slalom (23/24) remains on the provisional calendar, as does the first race of the Porsche Cup Suisse at the beginning of the month. According to the current status of the measures in Austria and Switzerland, however, its realization is unrealistic.
The organizers of the Rallye du Chablais at the end of May and some of the planned races in June are still taking their time. In the meantime, it has been decided that the Kerenzerberg race and the Reitnau mountain race will not be held again until 2021.
The official portal of Auto Sport Schweiz also provides ongoing information on the current state of affairs. Likewise, the association explains what lies behind the decision-making process in a statement dated March 19.
