Andreas Seidl, the Team Principal of the McLaren F1 Team, says Formula 1’s need to have triple-header weekend’s in 2020 is down to the delays to the season caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but these cannot become the ‘new standard’ beyond this year.
Teams have been faced with a trio of triple-header events to start the delayed season, with two races around the Red Bull Ring in Austria being followed by the Hungarian Grand Prix opening up the season this month.
The Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom will host two events of its own starting next weekend before the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya makes up the second triple-header, while Spa-Francorchamps, Autodromo Nazionale Monza and Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello makes up the third. This means there will be nine rounds in just eleven weeks as Formula 1 places catch up.
Seidl says the special circumstances of 2020, which has seen sporting events decimated across the globe, means teams will have to ‘get through’ the triple-headers the best they can, but it must become normal for three races to occur on consecutive weekends going forward.
“We’re going now into the triple-header with these two races in the UK, which is obviously for the UK teams is not as bad as for some other teams,” Seidl is quoted as saying by Autosport.
“At least we have the possibility to arrive at the track as late as possible with only a short travel and having a break between these two Silverstone races.
“Then we go into another triple-header, and then at the moment I think on the schedule there is another triple-header later on, which I think then is tough.
“Given the special circumstances we are in this year, it’s something we simply have to get through this year. But at the same time, this cannot be the new standard going forward also in future seasons.”
