Bernie Ecclestone has called for the current Formula One season to be cancelled as he does not believe enough races will be held to complete it amid the coronavirus crisis.
The Australian and Monaco Grand Prix have already been cancelled, with six more races postponed with new dates to be announced.
Eight races are needed to be completed for a World Championship to officially take place and 14 remain unchanged from the original schedule at the time of writing. The next one being the Canadian Grand Prix on 14 June, but Ecclestone cannot see all these going ahead, with the pandemic not relenting.
‘We should stop the championship this year and start again next year, hopefully, because I can’t see it’s going to be possible to get the right amount of races in that count for a championship,’ the 89-year-old told BBC Radio Five Live.
‘There’s got to be eight from memory, and I can’t see them getting that in. It’s a difficult situation.’
Reigning and defending world champion Lewis Hamilton is bidding to match Michael Schumacher with seven world titles this year and the chairman emeritus of the Formula One Group thinks Hamilton would be happy to take the championship even if it only included eight races.
‘I don’t think it will make a lot of difference to Lewis. He would win whatever the race number, whether it be eight, 16 or 20,’ said the veteran sports administrator.
‘If it’s a world championship and he wins, it would go on his record and say he has won a world championship. The terrible thing is he would win all eight races. It wouldn’t be a super championship.’
This year’s British Grand Prix remains scheduled for 19 July at Silverstone, and while losing the enormous event would be a hit for the race course, Ecclestone feels they are well set-up to withstand it.
‘I think they’ve got themselves organised well and truly not to have to rely entirely on Formla One for everything,’ he continued.
‘They’ve got a very good brand and they do a lot of other things. Whether they would be able to continue all the stuff they do outside of Formula One, at the moment I don’t know.
‘It’s no more easy for them than anyone else at the moment. I think everyone’s having to look at what they’ve done and can do in the future.’
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