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Saward: 'Some Western leaders are only making situation worse'

Saward: 'Some Western leaders are only making situation worse'

29-03-2020 15:56 Last update: 18:28
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GPblog.com

Now that the first seven Grands Prix of the F1 season are cancelled or postponed, there is now a lot of speculation about the further course of the Formula 1 season. Renowned motorsport journalist Joe Saward is not too optimistic about this, especially considering the way in which the COVID-19 coronavirus is dealt with in some countries.

"I honestly don't think we'll start the season before the summer break and I'd be surprised if they manage to run another eighteen races. It would already surprise me if we get eight", says Saward in the podcast of Missed Apex F1.

Hope for F1 season 2020 is not given up just like that

Bernie Ecclestone therefore said recently that it would be better to give up the whole season now and then start with a clean slate in 2021. Saward thinks that Formula 1 will never do that, but there could be a situation where it can't be otherwise.

"Unless they have to, they won't cancel the whole season. Maybe they should, because even if the situation gets better in some countries, you can't actually start travelling again until it's safe anywhere. At least that's my opinion."

Disaster still spreads

"Nobody really knows the answer to this, but what we do know is that this [the spread] is still accelerating. Even though things are better in China now, we can't just fly there now. Italy is still a complete disaster and in other places this disaster is still going to happen, including Great Britain, where most of the F1 teams are located".

Saward then criticised the government in both the United Kingdom and the United States. According to him, the leaders of these countries are only making the situation worse with their irresponsible behaviour.