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Racing without a crowd not an option: They'll go broke, frankly

Racing without a crowd not an option: "They'll go broke, frankly"

19-03-2020 18:41
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Nicolás Quarles van Ufford

Former F1 driver and Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle is positive 2020 could still be a "representative season" despite some Grands Prix having been cancelled, although he added racing behind closed doors shouldn't be an option.

The first seven Grands Prix of the 2020 season have all been cancelled or postponed, with the cancellation of the Monaco Grand Prix being the latest one to be added to the list.

This means the season could kick off in Baku in early June, as it is currently the earliest Grand Prix yet to be moved. Brundle reminded people you don't need more than 20 races to have a championship, as it used to be way less in earlier years.

"I think if we do get up and running I could easily see 16 or 17 races, just coming thick and fast, triple-headers, quadruple-headers, maybe one week off and then go again," he wrote on Sky Sports F1.

"They'll shorten the weekend, maybe, just to two days rather than three."

The option for races to be held behind closed doors shouldn't exist, according to the former driver, explaining it could put circuits like Silverstone in severe financial trouble.

"The thought of great circuits like Silverstone, running a race but having no crowd, they just can't do that, they'll go broke frankly. So we need to wait until we can get a crowd and do this properly.

"But I do think there's a chance we could have a representative Formula 1 season and remember, back in Sir Stirling Moss' day and Fangio's day, there were seven or eight [races] in a championship."