Austria could host more than one F1 race

Austria's Red Bull Ring

(GMM) Austria's Red Bull Ring could join Silverstone in hosting more than one race in 2020 once the coronavirus crisis has eased.

Eight races have been cancelled or postponed so far this year, and it is expected that Montreal's June race might join them as soon as Tuesday.

But Red Bull, owner and promoter of the Austrian GP set for July 5, is leaving open the possibility of hosting its race in 2020.

"We will have to wait and see, as we are not alone in the world," Dr Helmut Marko told motorsport-magazin.com.

"Even if we could organize, it does not help if the travel restrictions in the rest of Europe are still such that nobody can enter without quarantine," he said.

"The situation is generally better, but neither a refusal nor a promise is possible at the moment."

However, he said the venue in Spielberg is uniquely able to organize a race at late notice.

"This is the advantage of the Red Bull Ring," he said. "It is a finished system that can be unlocked overnight."

Marko said the situation in terms of selling tickets is not such a big hurdle either.

"There are already a lot of tickets sold," he revealed.

"First we would have to know if there is a race, and whether it takes place with spectators or not. These are questions that are currently completely open," said the Red Bull chief.

As for the possibility of more than one race being held at the Red Bull Ring in 2020, Marko answered: "The possibility is there because we have a ready-to-use system.

"It's just a matter of negotiation with Liberty, then it depends on how it looks in the rest of Europe."