F1 News: UK quarantine rules set to dash Silverstone plans

The UK government is expected to announce details on Friday of a 14-day travel quarantine, and will require visitors and returning residents to give an address where they will self-isolate.

Spot checks will then be made, and offenders will reportedly subject to a fine of £1000 - only special cases, such as truck drivers, will be exempt.

The quarantine restrictions will be reviewed every three weeks.

F1 had hoped to gain an exemption for travelling personnel, especially as they would be carrying evidence of negative COVID-19 tests as part of the requirement for the season restarting.

However despite initial support for the idea from Oliver Dowden, the UK secretary state for digital, culture, media and sport, the definitive government position is that exemptions for sport would lead to complaints from other business and industries.

The intention had been to start the season in Austria on 5 and 12 July, followed by races at Silverstone on 26 July and 5 August.

It appears that there are now plans to hold at least one - and possibly two - events immediately after Austria so that UK personnel stay out for up to a month, before self-isolating at home prior to the next trip.

Hockenheim remains favourite to follow Austria, but Hungary is now in the frame as an alternative second venue, which would mean a race on 19 July and possibly another the following week, given their close proximity to each other.

That would be followed by a break of one or two weekends, in which UK personnel would self-isolate, before a second round trip that would start at Hockenheim.

F1 has been working on a provisional calendar that includes Spain on 23 August, Belgium on 30 August and Italy on 6 September, and it remains to be seen how many of those dates will ultimately follow Germany.

One team insider told Autosport: "It's all still very much up in the air.

"The one thing that is very clear is all that teams want to start racing and will do whatever is necessary, including a quadruple header and even being on the road for a couple of months, if that's what it takes. As long as it's safe to do so."