2020 Silly Season Thread

[mario]

Back from hibernation.

So Leclerc in for five bloody seasons. Good shout from Ferrari: other than Verstappen he's easily the best young driver out there, and will quickly jump to the top very soon. As long as they can hold onto him they'll try their best. It's a huge endorsement, let's just hope it pays off for them. But did Ferrari really have any other choice?

And speaking of Schumachers, Autosport reporting that a certain Mick is on the cards for an F1 seat in a vague time in the future.

It's worth noting that the original contract Leclerc signed was, according to Arrivabene, "at least until 2022", so he was already committing himself to Ferrari for a relatively long time. It sounds like the main advantage for Leclerc is financial, with the indication that he's now getting a significant salary boost (I believe the claim was a threefold increase from €3 million to €9 million per annum).

And Kubica as reserve at Alfa Romeo - quite a surprise that...

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/alfa ... e/4617950/

There is one factor that might explain that decision, which is their sponsorship from Shell comes to an end this year, and uncertainty over the PSA-FCA merger seemed to end any chance of a renewal. The deal that Kubica has signed means that Orlen will now be the "co-title sponsor" of the team, which means the replacement of Shell by Orlen may be increasing the amount of money now coming in to the team.

[UncreativeUsername37]

NISSANY TO WILLIAMS!
as a practice driver

[Rob Dylan]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/147970/marko-f1-door-closed-for-exred-bull-juniors

So the dream of a Sébastien Buemi or Robert Doornbos comeback is out the window, everyone

They say that, though it would be very funny if they very quickly ran out of driving talent yet again, like they did only two years ago!

[Klon]

"A podium, I can't tell you all how many people have made it to the podium."

Outside of the aforementioned winners, Alexander Albon, Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly. So basically by Marko's own standards, the Red Bull driver program has been somewhat a failure until last year.

Regardless I think the majority of the prominent alumni of the Red Bull program will be perfectly fine without them.

[dr-baker]

There is talk of GPs in the summer break, and Australia being rescheduled. In my opinion, Australia should only be the first or last race of the year, so hold in in the Australian summer month of December?

[CaptainGetz12]

There is talk of GPs in the summer break, and Australia being rescheduled. In my opinion, Australia should only be the first or last race of the year, so hold in in the Australian summer month of December?

Note that COVID could rebound in the Fall/Winter like other viruses do, so perhaps having races in the fall is a bad idea if the virus is still not dormant.

[dr-baker]

There is talk of GPs in the summer break, and Australia being rescheduled. In my opinion, Australia should only be the first or last race of the year, so hold in in the Australian summer month of December?

Note that COVID could rebound in the Fall/Winter like other viruses do, so perhaps having races in the fall is a bad idea if the virus is still not dormant.

And there is already a mutation of the virus apparently, so we could well have a different strain by the time Australia and China (plus others) get rescheduled.

[dr-baker]

Dutch, Spanish and Monaco GPs now postponed/cancelled, so Baku is now the earliest race to not yet be cancelled. Monaco is apparently unlikely to be reinstated due to size of race sanctioning fee, according to Autosport. (And possibly due to lead time to close roads and set the country up as a race track, perhaps?) Which means currently 7 races cancelled and 15 races currently still due to run. According to this Wikipedia page, last time there were only 15 world championship GPs in one season was 1983, and 1981. (There were 16 in 1982). 37 years ago!

[mario]

Dutch, Spanish and Monaco GPs now postponed/cancelled, so Baku is now the earliest race to not yet be cancelled. Monaco is apparently unlikely to be reinstated due to size of race sanctioning fee, according to Autosport. (And possibly due to lead time to close roads and set the country up as a race track, perhaps?) Which means currently 7 races cancelled and 15 races currently still due to run. According to this Wikipedia page, last time there were only 15 world championship GPs in one season was 1983, and 1981. (There were 16 in 1982). 37 years ago!

The press release from the ACM has confirmed that they're cancelling the race altogether, rather than just postponing it and trying to schedule it later in the season, on the basis that the logistical effort required to hold the event would be too great.

[dr-baker]

Dutch, Spanish and Monaco GPs now postponed/cancelled, so Baku is now the earliest race to not yet be cancelled. Monaco is apparently unlikely to be reinstated due to size of race sanctioning fee, according to Autosport. (And possibly due to lead time to close roads and set the country up as a race track, perhaps?) Which means currently 7 races cancelled and 15 races currently still due to run. According to this Wikipedia page, last time there were only 15 world championship GPs in one season was 1983, and 1981. (There were 16 in 1982). 37 years ago!

The press release from the ACM has confirmed that they're cancelling the race altogether, rather than just postponing it and trying to schedule it later in the season, on the basis that the logistical effort required to hold the event would be too great.

Kinda what I suspected.

[Rob Dylan]

A lot of us here (ok I'm just speaking for myself ) have been asking for a shorter season for a long time now, so our wish has been granted in absolutely the worst possible way?

Seriously, hope all's well with everyone.

[dr-baker]

A lot of us here (ok I'm just speaking for myself ) have been asking for a shorter season for a long time now, so our wish has been granted in absolutely the worst possible way?

Seriously, hope all's well with everyone.

That thought had occurred to me too. I read on a BBC article that only 8 races would be needed for a championship to be awarded. That number of races in a championship would take us back to the 1950s. Great Scott!

[Nuppiz]

A lot of us here (ok I'm just speaking for myself ) have been asking for a shorter season for a long time now, so our wish has been granted in absolutely the worst possible way?

Seriously, hope all's well with everyone.

That thought had occurred to me too. I read on a BBC article that only 8 races would be needed for a championship to be awarded. That number of races in a championship would take us back to the 1950s. Great Scott!

Actually, the last time there were only 8 championship races was in 1961.

[UncreativeUsername37]

The regulations only require 8 races, but some television contracts require 15... it'd be interesting to see how that would be worked out, not that I'm hoping for it

[dr-baker]

The regulations only require 8 races, but some television contracts require 15... it'd be interesting to see how that would be worked out, not that I'm hoping for it

For the TV contracts, below 15 races, would their financial commitment be reduced pro rata rather than all-or-nothing?

[yannicksamlad]

I'm finding it all very depressing. No racing as well as all the other terrible stuff.

[dr-baker]

I'm finding it all very depressing. No racing as well as all the other terrible stuff.

I was due to go to a Christian conference in early April. That's been cancelled. I was due to go to the BTCC at Brands Hatch in mid-April. That's been postponed. I was due to go to a nursing conference in Belfast in late-April. That's been cancelled. Still don't know whether I will get to the New York or London ePrixs.

So from having plenty of things to go to and attend in April to nothing. Nada. Zilch. I feel ya.

[dr-baker]

Looks like Baku will be called off tomorrow, as it's a street track and would need to be reconstructed soon, which they're not going to risk doing.

[sswishbone]

Autosport have it up so lopks like Dr Baker is spot on here

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/148757/baku-set-to-be-postponed-as-f1-faces-further-delay

At this rate I'm thinking we won't have a season at all. Unless they manage some Europe or Asia only 8 race mini championship. But, to me. stick a fork in this season.

[Francis23]

I think regardless the best thing to do is have a 2020-21 season, and resume as normal in March 2022

[dr-baker]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14888 ... rse-layout

If this had been published yesterday, I would have considered it an April Fool, yet Silverstone are open open to the idea of multiple races, and to racing on a reverse layout (which it is not currently licensed for...).

[mario]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/148888/silverstone-open-to-multiple-f1-races-reverse-layout

If this had been published yesterday, I would have considered it an April Fool, yet Silverstone are open open to the idea of multiple races, and to racing on a reverse layout (which it is not currently licensed for...).

It does sound like an act of desperation to be talking about running multiple races on the same circuit (the part about racing on a reverse layout looks like it might have been an April Fools joke).

The problem is that, right now, Silverstone doesn't seem to have any of its secondary layouts homologated for an F1 race. In total, I think there are 37 circuits which are homologated for F1 races, but it looks like the only circuits with secondary layouts that currently have a Grade 1 rating are Bahrain's Sakhir circuit and the Dubai Autodrome (and it's academic in the case of Dubai due to the fact they don't have a contract for an F1 race).

I guess that Paul Ricard could get some additional layouts homologated, though I don't think that prospect is one that is going to be all that thrilling to people. Furthermore, there is going to be the additional problem that Silverstone is unlikely to be paying the same fee twice - I'd imagine any second race would be heavily discounted - so Liberty Media's preference is probably going to be to either reschedule postponed races where possible, or to try and hastily hammer out a one off deal with another venue for a race (such as Imola, which has already thrown open that possibility).

[dr-baker]

There would then be the question of what the second race at the same track within the same season would be called (something that I don't think has happened before). At Silverstone, the first race would obviously be the British GP, but the second could be the English GP, the North Sea GP, or perhaps, like Donington in 1993, the European GP.

[UncreativeUsername37]

Run one race on the northern short circuit and one on the southern one and call them the East Midlands and South East England GPs.

[Bleu]

Silverstone is located in two ceremonial counties so they can be named Buckinghamshire Grand Prix and Northamptonshire Grand Prix.

[dr-baker]

French Grand Prix is now also postponed, according to the latest update on Autosport.

EDIT: "Thrown into doubt" as public gathering now banned there until mid-July.

[Rob Dylan]

Now today it's the Belgian Grand Prix that won't go ahead.

[mario]

Now today it's the Belgian Grand Prix that won't go ahead.

It's been thrown into doubt by the ban on mass events, but although the odds seem slim, it's not been formally cancelled yet. It seems the promoters are holding talks with the Belgian government to clarify what they define as a "mass event", as that is currently a bit ambiguous.

They have indicated that, if the Belgian government consented to it, they might be able to hold a closed door event with no spectators - though that would depend on sorting out a commercial deal with Liberty Media to do so.

[dr-baker]

Now today it's the Belgian Grand Prix that won't go ahead.

It's been thrown into doubt by the ban on mass events, but although the odds seem slim, it's not been formally cancelled yet. It seems the promoters are holding talks with the Belgian government to clarify what they define as a "mass event", as that is currently a bit ambiguous.

They have indicated that, if the Belgian government consented to it, they might be able to hold a closed door event with no spectators - though that would depend on sorting out a commercial deal with Liberty Media to do so.

I assume that that is a similar position that the French GP finds itself in.

[Fetzie]

Apparently F1 is planning to start with the Austrian Grand Prix during the 3-5 July weekend with the first few races definitely held behind closed doors.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/52435988

[Enforcer]

Rumour that Renault will announce their new driver (Alonso) on Wednesday. Sources in Spain say it's a driver (Alonso) who has already raced for the team and is therefore widely assumed to be Kevin Magnussen (actually Alonso).

Okay, it could be Magnussen, Grosjean or Hulkenberg, technically it could be Kubica, or even Maldonado. But it's probably going to be Alonso.

I do not see the point.

[CaptainGetz12]

Rumour that Renault will announce their new driver (Alonso) on Wednesday. Sources in Spain say it's a driver (Alonso) who has already raced for the team and is therefore widely assumed to be Kevin Magnussen (actually Alonso).

Okay, it could be Magnussen, Grosjean or Hulkenberg, technically it could be Kubica, or even Maldonado. But it's probably going to be Alonso.

I do not see the point.

I would think Renault would want a driver who can give additional funds, like Sirotkin or Zhou (if he does well enough in F2 this year).

[dr-baker]

When I read that it was a driver that had driver that had driven for Renault before, the first name that came to my mind was..











Ferenc Szisz.

[mario]

Rumour that Renault will announce their new driver (Alonso) on Wednesday. Sources in Spain say it's a driver (Alonso) who has already raced for the team and is therefore widely assumed to be Kevin Magnussen (actually Alonso).

Okay, it could be Magnussen, Grosjean or Hulkenberg, technically it could be Kubica, or even Maldonado. But it's probably going to be Alonso.

I do not see the point.

I would also have to agree that I can't really see the point for Alonso to return to F1 with Renault - especially because it's not really clear what Renault want from the driver replacing Ricciardo.