FIA is obliged to organize an F1 Championship

Because of the coronavirus it is still unclear when the Formula 1 season will start. There are already calls here and there that it might be better to call off the 2020 season and start again next year with a fresh start. That sounds like an easy solution, but when looking at contracts it is a bit more difficult.

Obligation

Whatever agreements are made between the teams, FIA and Formula 1 or Liberty Media, the FIA has a firm commitment. That obligation revolves around organising a Formula 1 championship that they can't get away from. If that happens for whatever reason, it would be a violation of a 100 year agreement.

The only way to get out of it is to remove the term 'world' from the championship, then a championship could still take place. That would provide some relief in the discussion that is now going on about organizing the races on different continents. The rules are now that a world championship is valid for a minimum of eight races on three continents.

At the moment we are looking at a season start in Europe with possibly more races on certain circuits, this in order to come to a decent number. The organization is still aiming for fifteen to eighteen races, but as long as the pandemic continues, it will become increasingly difficult to make a good calendar.

Big interests

It is of course important for the teams to be able to drive again as soon as possible, they currently see more money going out than coming in. Also the income of Formula 1 is a hit, because of the broadcasting rights that have been paid for, but there are no live broadcasts.

In addition, the FIA has this obligation and that also explains why so diligently solutions are being sought after. Full tuning of the 2020 season does not seem to be one of the options, but looking ahead is not possible for anyone since the Covid-19 virus leads to great uncertainty, in the short and long term.