Salo: 'Start of Formula 1 in July must be done'.

With the plan to start in Austria in July, Formula 1 is garnering both praise and a lot of criticism. With a view to financial interests, a start is very important, with a view to the health and safety of all those involved, there are enough counter-arguments to come up with. However, former driver Mika Salo is clear and says it has to be done.

Health is a priority

Salo was a guest at a broadcast of MTV Sport and there he expressed his confidence in the organization of Formula 1. "Health is a priority. There has been talk about racing without an audience and of course travelling is now more difficult for everyone. But let's look at how they implement their intentions. I don't think that they are going to play with health, the F1 bosses are taking the pandemic seriously".

Formula 1 can't stand still for too long, because there's a lot of money at stake and of course the same goes for the many jobs that are involved. "It has to be done, there is talk of a lot of money and thousands of jobs. There has to be a good plan." And that plan seems to be implemented as soon as the Red Bull Ring starts on July 5.

Many races

The goal this year is to drive fifteen to eighteen races and that's quite an ambitious undertaking. Again in view of the financial interests, that is the ideal scenario, but Salo says it's a wild thought about that.

"It sounds wild. I'm looking forward to seeing how they get through that. Everybody might be in a hurry by the end of the year." In any case, Formula 1 will take a risky step, as it is one of the first global sports to be restarted. But being too critical and judging is not appropriate now.

"Let's see how it goes now and at least not travel everywhere yet. Let's hope there will be a vaccine or something soon", concludes Salo.