FIA: World Championship title also awarded when only driven in Europe

Last week the European calendar for the upcoming Formula 1 season was announced. Should the coronavirus make it impossible to drive in Asia and America, then the person who at that moment is at the top of the World Cup classification can officially call himself the World Champion of 2020.

The European calendar officially counts as a world championship, even though no further Grands Prix can be held. The regulations of the FIA state that a world title may only be awarded when there is racing on three different continents, but that requirement no longer has to be met.

Formula 1 succeeded in mission

"In theory the eight European races will constitute a world championship," Brawn reveals in conversation with Autosport.com. The sports director of Liberty Media is pleased to announce that the first few months of Formula 1 are now known. "I think it was a challenge putting the European season together. Two or three weeks ago, a month ago, it looked impossible. But now we've got a decent calendar put together."

There seems to be a bit of a return of calm in Europe, but by no means everywhere. "There are still some countries which are going through the worst.
"So we need to give them time to see how quickly they are able to recover. Mexico is one where they still want to have a race, but they are in the throes of the pandemic at the moment," explained the 65-year-old Briton.

Plenty of options for Liberty Media

At the moment that Grands Prix of the original calendar cannot go ahead, circuits like Hockenheim and Imola are jumping to get the Formula 1 circus their way. "There's various options", Brawn agrees. "I think we're going to be able to put a decent season together."