Fewer F1 car updates planned for 2020

The 'pink' Mercedes, an exact copy of last year's Mercedes, is so good it won't require many updates

Racing Point's 'pink' Mercedes, an exact copy of last year's Mercedes, is so good it won't require many updates

(GMM) Formula 1 teams will have only a limited car development program in 2020, according to Racing Point technical boss Andy Green.

"We will have fewer updates than planned," he told Auto Motor und Sport when asked about the start of the 'corona calendar' in Austria next month.

"We didn't even use our first upgrade that would have been on the car in Melbourne. We haven't touched the car since then.

"I expect that after that there will only be another major one about two months down the road, as well as the special kits for Spa and Monza," Green added.

He said the main problem with a normal development program in 2020 is not necessarily cost related, but simply because of the way the races will be packed together and the need to think about the 2021 and 2022 cars as well.

"We have eight races in ten weeks, so a major upgrade with a long lead time will miss most of the season," said Green.

"We don't actually know how long the season will be in the end."