Jenzer: "If only something takes place in 2020..."

Less than a month ago, Andreas Jenzer's world also looked different. Like all ten teams from the FIA Formula 3 Championship, Jenzer Motorsport took part in the official tests in Bahrain at the beginning of March.

The first two races were to be held there as part of the second GP of the season on March 21/22. The first indications that these would be run as ghost races due to the worldwide spread of the coronavirus had already emerged. But it did not come to that either.

Orphan foresight saved additional effort
All 30 race cars remained on the premises of the Bahrain International Circuit. However, because they were not stored in a pit garage but in a thoroughly robust tent, the team boss chose the option of stowing all the equipment in the transport boxes and unpacking it again on the race weekend. The risk of a sandstorm and its consequences was too great for him.

This benefited him after the cancellation or postponement to an unknown time. None of the team had to fly to Bahrain again to pack the cars for the flight back to Europe. When and where they will be back in Lyss, however, is uncertain. They are expected to arrive these days.

Not before summer
Jenzer Motorsport can't use them at the moment anyway. The three Tatuus race cars were completely rebuilt for the test. Now, in two working days, they will be ready for the start of the season. But this is a long way off.

In the meantime, the Dutch GP and the Spanish GP have also been postponed indefinitely. The other scheduled European races where Formula 3 is to race are not until July in Spielberg, Silverstone and Budapest.

Like the whole world, the boss of an SME hopes that the worst will be over by then and that it will be allowed to drive again, no matter what the conditions.

The main thing is that there is no standstill until the end of the year
Because health comes first, Jenzer has no problem at all with the current situation. The freelancers have long been at home with their families, so that of 16 to 18 people in the workshop, only eight are currently still in operation with the necessary distance between them.

The application for short-time work has been submitted. Everything that can be worked up and prepared is now being done.

Andreas Jenzer: "I would prefer it if we could start again in two or three months. It's simply important that something takes place again sometime after that, otherwise Jenzer Motorsport will no longer exist at the end of 2020. But I'll wait and see and not worry too much about it yet."

New Zealand shows the way
The Berner sees no problem in the expected concentration of race dates in the second half of the year.

Andreas Jenzer: "In New Zealand, they ran 15 races on five consecutive weekends in January and February. So this would also work for us."

In the calendar of Formula 1, as well as Formula 2 and 3, three race-free weekends were scheduled in August. These will now undoubtedly be occupied by postponed Grands Prix. The Formula 3 finale will probably not take place in Russia on September 27, as planned, but in Abu Dhabi or at the postponed Bahrain GP.

Loud new drivers
Jenzer's Formula 3 drivers for 2020 are the Italians Federico Malvestiti (19) and Matteo Nannini (16), a nephew of the former GP driver, and the Australian Calan Williams. All three are rookies, so not as much as last year (one win and two podiums with the Japanese Tsunoda) can be expected.

In Formula 4, Jasin Ferati (16) from Winterthur and Filip Ugran (17) from Romania have been confirmed so far. The Italian F4 championship is also unlikely to get underway until June or July.

Since the weather in Italy will be fine until November, Andreas Jenzer is not worried about that yet either. In addition, there may also be races in the Spanish and German championships. Racing will continue at some point. The main thing is to do it this fiscal year.

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