2020 F1 season cancellation would be a “hard blow” - Sainz

Cancelling the 2020 Formula 1 season due to the coronavirus crisis would be a “hard blow that would be difficult to accept”, according to Carlos Sainz. 

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has already caused the opening nine races of the season to be postponed, with F1 working on a plan to get the campaign underway with a behind closed doors race in Austria on July 5 followed by multiple races at Silverstone. 

With no immediate end to the crisis in sight and complications over uncertainty surrounding future travel restrictions between countries, further disruptions are expected, including the French and Belgian Grands Prix, which are the latest races in doubt. 

Sainz conceded that if the situation does not improve a year without racing would be a hard prospect to come to terms with, though he added it would be “fully understandable”. 

"I prefer to think there's going to be fewer races than to imagine everything will be cancelled," Sainz told Spanish media. 

"Abandoning the season would be a hard blow that would be difficult to accept.

"If the situation doesn't get under control it would be fully understandable, but it would have very negative consequences for the sport and everything surrounding it. A lot of jobs would be at risk and that's never good.

"F1 will suffer the consequences of this pandemic, like any other sport or business. This situation is helping make all teams aware that they need to make an effort, be self-critical and agree to change things.

"I'm sure that with the rules that had already been agreed and the decisions they made these days, we'll see a more matched and more sustainable Formula 1.

"It's a sport full of brilliant people, great engineers and professionals and with a great infrastructure and I think we can be an example of how to come out stronger of this situation.”

While championship officials remain determined to stage an 18-race season, the McLaren driver believes the actual 2020 schedule will be “much shorter” than originally planned and closer to 10 events. 

"Right now a lot of options are being considered,” Sainz explained. 

“They have already announced the cancellation of some grands prix like Monaco. The street circuits have it harder because of all the mess that comes with them and how hard it is to adapt the environment.

“I personally think we are looking at a season closer to 10 races - between 8 and 14, I'd say - than 20. Looking at the situation, if you do the math, there's no room for much more.

"I'm sure the season is going to be much shorter than the original calendar said, maybe even with more than one race on the same circuit, probably behind closed door and possibly running just two days instead of three.

"It's going to be a very different championship to what we've seen in F1 history until now."