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How F1's COVID goodwill broke apart on its birthday weekend

When Formula 1 was forced into hibernation by the coronavirus pandemic, teams came together in unprecedented fashion. The mudslinging that occurred off-track last weekend at Silverstone suggests such cooperation won't be seen again for a while

Luke Smith Aug 11, 2020, 3:33 PM

Formula 1 took advantage of holding two races at Silverstone by nodding to its history and celebrating its 70th birthday at the track where it all began in 1950.

In the fallow months between the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix and the eventual season opener in Austria, steps were taken to safeguard F1's future and ensure it would honour many more anniversaries despite the devastating nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Author Luke Smith

Luke Smith is Autosport’s Formula 1 reporter. Luke has been working in F1 as a journalist since 2013, initially alongside a History degree at University College London. Luke served as the lead F1 writer at American broadcaster NBC Sports from 2013-17 before spending two years as the F1 Editor for Crash.net. Luke joined Autosport for the 2020 season.

Luke is also a contributor to The New York Times for its F1 special reports, and has previously worked with Al Jazeera and CNBC, as well as hosting FIA press conferences. Outside of F1, Luke is a fan of sports and music, with an ever-growing vinyl collection, and has being bitten by the running bug in recent years. He also runs a surprisingly popular blog reviewing the often-terrible media centre coffee from his F1 travels.