Mattia Binotto Hints at 2 Day Race Weekends for the 2020 F1 Season

Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto believes the FIA and F1 could resort to some drastic measures in 2020. With 8 races cancelled or postponed, the sport has a slim chance of salvaging this season. F1’s tentative start date of June seems highly unlikely given the current circumstances.

F1 aiming for a 15 race season at least

Following the postponement of several Grands Prix, CEO Chase Carey made a bold claim for the remainder of the season. Carey asserted that the sport was considering at least 15 races and a maximum of 18 once the season begins. 18 seems a bit too optimistic at this stage but let’s consider 15 races as a starting point.

With Azerbaijan postponed, Canada takes over as the location for the first race of the season. Unfortunately, a race seems highly unlikely in the North American country unless conditions drastically improve. The same applies to the French Grand Prix, where F1 will go racing after Canada.

This makes Austria in July a strong possibility to host the season’s opener. That gives F1 – give or take 5 months to squeeze in 15 odd races. As a result, Formula One must hold many back to back race weekends. A task that’s easier said than done – not to mention the logistics nightmare for teams.

Binotto predicts a few radical changes

Binotto revealed that teams have given the FIA a free hand in making decisions regarding the F1 calendar. Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, Binotto said:

“The teams have given complete freedom to the FIA and Liberty [Media] to fill in the calendar,”

“That means we can expect several changes. For example, the race weekends could be shortened to two days so that we can organize several Grands Prix in a row. In addition, the season could also end during the first months of 2021”

Carey did mention the possibility of extending the season’s end date. As things stand, the 2020 season will conclude at Abu Dhabi on November 29.

“However, nothing has been decided yet and we will have to wait for the decisions.”

As of now, F1 has many choices. A combined super season? Cancelling 2020, starting ’21 earlier? Or many triple headers?

The sport has its hands full in trying to get something out of a season that’s crumbled under the weight of a raging pandemic.