Formula One could start the season behind locked gates due to the COVID-19 pandemic but the glamour sport will likely have to slim down considerably to get the green light to go racing. Across Europe, bans on mass gatherings and public events have been extended into July and August even as countries begin to emerge from the strict lockdowns that have put sporting activities on hold.
F1 chief executive Chase Carey was speaking after the sport published an eight-race initial calendar with the season starting in Austria on July 5.
All Formula One drivers, teams and personnel have tested negative for COVID-19 ahead of the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, the sport said on Saturday. Anyone entering the paddock at the Red Bull Ring must have a clean bill of health and is being tested every five days by private medical teams.
Britain's George Russell will stand in for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for Sunday's Sakhir Grand Prix after being released by Williams.
Lewis Hamilton said he was working on the change and hoped to make it soon.
Sports bodies moved quickly to strip Russia of events,
Much has been written about that afternoon, and the Brazilian's career and epic rivalry with Frenchman Alain Prost, with questions still asked about what caused the crash. What is certain is that it changed Formula One, triggering a major safety review and altering the course of sporting history.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday.
As part of the transaction, Daimler will reduce its stake from 60%, while Wolff will up his shareholding from 30%, the statement said.
Six-times Formula One World champion Lewis Hamilton will be back on track at Silverstone next week for the first time since February as Mercedes gear up for the start of the delayed Formula One season. Mercedes said on Twitter that Hamilton will be in his title-winning 2018 Mercedes W09 car on Wednesday, with team mate Valtteri Bottas driving on Tuesday, to practise protocols for the July 5 Austrian opener.
In the constructors' standings, Red Bull have 511 points to Ferrari's 376.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will line up alongside on the front row after a final qualifying session that ended with Verstappen's Mexican team mate Sergio Perez crashing at the final corner.
'We have set out our 2021 calendar and look forward to the return of F1 in March this year.'
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc secured pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday after a furious Max Verstappen was forced to abandon his fastest lap for fear of running out of fuel.
As Sachin Tendulkar completes his 50th birthday, an A-Z listing about the 'Little Master'.
Max Verstappen dashed Ferrari's home hopes and won the Italian Grand Prix
Test cricketers from England and South Africa paid tributes to Queen Elizabeth II as they wore black armbands and observed a minute's silence ahead of start of Day 3 of the third and final Test match at The Oval in London.
Klitschko and his brother Vitali, also a former world heavyweight champion and now the mayor of Kyiv, have both taken up arms against invading Russian forces.
While 40-year-old racers were relatively common in the sport's early days, they are a rarity in modern Formula One with an increasing emphasis on youth.
The measures, rubber-stamped by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council by an online vote, aim to create a more level playing field for the 10 teams and a more sustainable future.
Mick Schumacher made his first track appearance as a fully signed-up Formula One driver on Friday
Mick Schumacher is now expected to move up to Formula One with Red Bull's Honda-powered AlphaTauri team
'After many years of having to find new adjectives to say horrible, I realised I would rather write about things I want to write about.'
The FIA expected its investigation to take six to eight weeks. It will look at all safety devices, how the safety barrier performed and the role of track marshals and medical intervention team.
The world of sport reacted to the death of Queen Elizabeth on Thursday with a raft of cancellations across cricket, golf, rugby and cycling, while others paid tribute by holding a minute's silence.
'I do stand unified with them, trying to do what I can over here'
Lewis Hamilton, winner of a record 94 races, said after winning Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix to clinch the title that he thought more of others.
The world of esports came to the rescue in the absence of a race in Melbourne or indeed of any single-seater series with the Formula E and IndyCar calendars also ravaged by the fast-spreading virus. Red Bull's Verstappen finished 11th in an 'All-star Esports battle' while McLaren's Norris finished sixth in another virtual race.
The victory on a hot afternoon at Le Castellet was Verstappen's seventh of the season and 27th of his career.
IMAGES from the Belgian F1 Grand Prix
The All India Chess Federation (AICF) on Saturday said it will be bidding to host the 44th Chess Olympiad later this year after the prestigious event was moved out of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Mercedes were summoned by stewards post-race for the infringement.
India's Jehan Daruvala completes Formula 1 test with McLaren
England cricketer Ben Stokes will test his driving skills against five Formula One drivers, including Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, in the sport's second virtual Grand Prix this weekend. The World Cup winning all-rounder will team up with Thai racer Alexander Albon in the Red Bull line-up for his first esports competition.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine was condemned by the sporting community on Thursday, with President Vladimir Putin's country losing hosting rights for the UEFA Champions League final while Formula One drivers said it was "wrong" to race there this year.
Professional sports events in Italy have been played without fans since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although some supporters have been allowed into pre-season soccer friendlies.
The 36-year-old Briton, the sport's only Black driver, was made a Knight Bachelor by Britain's Prince Charles during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle in England.
Monaco authorities have agreed to close the Grand Prix circuit to all traffic and pedestrians from 0645 to 0900.
Formula One could cope with up to 10 positive tests for COVID-19 when the sport starts the season in July, according to the chairman of the governing FIA's medical commission. Professor Gerard Saillant told Sky Sports television the sport would still need a 'red line', however, beyond which racing could not continue.
Formula One stewards rejected on Friday a Red Bull protest against a new steering system used by champions Mercedes in practice for the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix.
