F1 plan for 16 to 18 GPs considered unlikely: "Would bet on less"

Formula 1 wants to start the 2020 season in Austria at the beginning of July and organize a total of between sixteen and eighteen Grands Prix. However, Zak Brown doubts whether those plans from Liberty Media and the FIA are feasible. The Mclaren boss himself prefers to think of fourteen or fifteen weekends.

"Formula 1 is looking at a schedule of 16 to 18, kind of 15 circuits, 18 races. I'm a little bit more pessimistic than that, I would place my bet on 14-15 races at 10 circuits", says Brown against Motorsport.com. The American would speak with this number of a 'complete championship' further expresses the idea that there will be two Grands Prix at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone.

Brown does not rule out the possibility that more circuits will host a double race after all. "If we start running into issues with travelling, then I think you could see doubling up some other races. I don't think that's the intention, but I'm going to assume that we're going to hit a glitch, somewhere along the way. We don't know if the second wave will come. If we want to go to Asia, or America; I think it's going to be when we get on planes and have to fly overseas where I think the risk will start to potentially get greater," he explains.

Brown praises Todt's work

The 48-year-old top man saw Liberty Media pull the purse last week by releasing 1.4 billion for Formula 1 and putting some teams ahead of prize money to save them from a financial crisis. "They continue to pay us. They've assisted some teams, I'm not exactly sure which teams, but I think that's good because all the teams might need eventually some help. I think they're doing everything they can to get us back to going racing, which protects us economically. I'm very impressed with Jean Todt", he says about the President of the FIA. "They're making good decisions, good recommendations and Jean, in particular, is pushing very hard on the budget cap. It's needed, and it was needed before this."