The big questions for F1 2020 2.0

How many races will there be?

Since Formula 1 went into lockdown, championship CEO Chase Carey has consistently stated his ambition to hold between 15 and 18 grands prix in 2020, though the fluid nature of a global pandemic means it may not be possible to hit that number.

In early June, Formula 1 released dates for the first eight races: an Austrian double-header at the Red Bull Ring, a race in Hungary, then another double-header at Silverstone, the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona, followed by races in Belgium and Italy.

This constitutes the initial European leg of a truncated calendar. To qualify as a proper world championship, F1 would ordinarily need to visit at least two more continents, meaning the season couldn't end with September's race at Monza lest it be scrubbed from official records. But F1's managing director of motorsports Ross Brawn suggests this requirement will be relaxed given the extraordinary circumstances, thus these eight races would constitute a minimum viable 'world' championship.

The situation remains understandably fluid. The saga of the British Grand Prix has been particularly vexatious for fans hoping to see a return to racing: the originally mooted July dates were pushed back to August to give F1 the maximum chance to either comply with, or be exempted from, the UK's recently-imposed 14-day mandatory quarantine on overseas travellers.

Where F1 races after Monza remains a work in progress at the time of writing. Some events initially postponed as coronavirus took hold - such as Bahrain, China and Vietnam - still hope to host events later in the year. Monaco was the first after Australia to officially cancel for 2020, followed by France, and Azerbaijan, Japan and Singapore have also joined that club. Canada, although not yet cancelled, faces pressure due to the Canadian winter. The latest a Canadian race has been held, in 1978, was 8 October.

Organisers of the revived Dutch GP at Zandvoort have said they won't hold a race while no fans are permitted, given that would fatally undermine the basis of an event bidding to ride the orange wave created by Max Verstappen's presence on the grid. Hockenheim, Imola, Mugello and Portimao are touted as venues that could step in at short notice if required.

"An individual having been found with a positive infection will not lead to a cancellation of a race" Chase Carey

The Mexican GP reiterated a commitment to hosting F1 on its original date of 1 November, while reports suggest F1 will look to hold another double-header in Russia in the autumn.

October's US GP remains in doubt unless spectators can be admitted, given much of that race's funding depends on the event bringing tourists to the region. Brazil is one of the nations worst affected by COVID-19 - Sao Paulo especially - but the promoter still hopes to hold November's Brazilian GP in front of fans, before F1 plans to finish with a Middle East triple header in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. All of which is COVID-19 dependent of course.

"We have other options if some things don't come together," explains Carey. "We do expect there are races on the calendar which will probably still not occur. We're in uncharted waters.

"We certainly continue to have a lack of visibility beyond a fairly short timeframe. We're engaged with all our promoters and we're in active discussion with them - all of them are struggling to have the same visibility."

What are the new protocols for racing?

Formula 1 has issued a dossier of guidelines, developed in conjunction with the FIA and external experts, to ensure travelling personnel remain safe from the risks of coronavirus exposure when the 2020 season begins. Carey insists teams pulling out because of ill personnel, or even a driver getting infected, will not stop races going ahead as happened in Australia in March.

"An individual having been found with a positive infection will not lead to a cancellation of a race," says Carey. "We encourage teams to have procedures in place so if an individual has to be put in quarantine, we have the ability to quarantine them at a hotel and to replace that individual.

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"Some things we'd have to talk and work through. The array of 'what ifs' are too wide to play out every one of them, but a team not being able to race wouldn't cancel the race. If a driver has an infection, [teams have] reserve drivers available. We wouldn't be going forward if we were not highly confident we have necessary procedures and expertise and capabilities to provide a safe environment and manage whatever issues arrive."

F1 will operate a 'Command and Control Centre' to manage the situation live in the paddock and deal with any specific coronavirus problems that crop up.

"There is a rigorous set of guidelines, probably at this point it's 80-90 pages, which will include everything from how you travel there, what are the processes for being in hotels, to what are the processes that exist at the track, for meals, going to the restroom, downtime between tracks and testing processes," Carey adds.

"We will test before you go there, then there will be testing every two days. There are processes if we find an infection. We recognise there is the possibility so we're prepared to appropriately deal with it, if we find a positive infection. We're working on putting in place tracking capabilities; we have two different tracking options.

"It seems to be a common pattern in Formula 1 that we're digging out old ideas that have been analysed formally and rejected" Toto Wolff

"In many ways, it will be like living in a bubble from when you start travelling on charter planes.

"There will be controlled transportation to hotels. And probably within it, sub-bubbles of people who operate different functions and it is set up to manage the processes, make sure we have the right protective equipment and social distancing.

"We recognise our sport is one which at times [means] we can't have two metres between every individual on a team. When a car pulls into a pit and has to change four tyres, there won't be two metres between every individual. We need to make sure we have procedures to manage all those risks."

Will the format of racing change?

For now, no. Plans to introduce experimental reversed-grid races for part two of the double-headers at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone were vetoed by Mercedes. Team boss Toto Wolff said this was done on the grounds his team considers it an unnecessary "gimmick" that distracts from the meritocratic essence of F1, though Brawn says the main reason is the potential risk it poses to Mercedes' quest for a seventh championship double.

"It seems to be a common pattern in Formula 1 that we're digging out old ideas that have been analysed formally and rejected," Wolff explains. "And then somebody thinks it's great and it's back on the agenda. I believe Formula 1 is a meritocracy. Best man in best machine wins. We don't need a gimmick to turn the field around to create more exciting racing."

Wolff also argues reversed grids would create strategic anomalies, whereby cars could be retired deliberately in one race to gain pole position for the next, unbalancing the championship in favour of the second and third fastest teams, and creating extra risks for top drivers having to work their way through the field.

"This is not the time to experiment with things that interestingly didn't even have the support of Formula 1's fan community," Wolff adds. "In a survey, only 15% expressed an interest in reversed grids."

F1 is determined to experiment during the second legs of the double-headers somehow, to avoid data driving a stake through the heart of the spectacle of the second weekend, perhaps by tweaking the tyre compound selections from one week to the next. Don't be surprised if reversed grids come back on to the agenda later in the season too.

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Major changes are coming for 2021 and 2022 on the sporting and technical fronts. This year's car designs will be carried over into next season but with severe restrictions on aerodynamic and engine development imposed, as well as a budget cap of $145million, before F1 introduces a major technical overhaul for 2022, when cars will be radically different aerodynamically and financial restrictions more draconian.

For this season, there are some minor steps in that direction. Aerodynamic testing and engine dyno testing will be limited, and development of certain mechanical parts frozen, in a bid to cut costs - hardly surprising when some teams have already severely felt the financial pinch of coronavirus - while 'closed' events (no fans allowed) will limit teams to 80 staff each per race, only 60 of whom can be associated with operating the cars.

"We've talked about goals to have fans at the races in the fall [autumn]. It may not be back to stands that are packed to the rafters, but limited capacity fan events" Chase Carey

Updates have also been made to the tyre regulations for 2020, allowing additional testing through FP2 sessions if required to help approve any new tyre specifications from Pirelli, which will determine compound selection for each race unilaterally rather than asking teams.

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There will, for now, be changes to other race-day staples, with no driver parade or podium, and a change to grid procedure, but the cars themselves will be largely as they were in Australia in March. Mandatory factory shutdowns, and the diversion of resources to the fight against COVID-19 via 'Project Pitlane', means little development work will have been completed.

When will fans be allowed in?

Even with no spectators at first, F1 still expects to have about 2000 people at each race. There will be 1200 essential personnel, which compares with 3000-5000 ordinarily. F1 teams will bring only 80 staff each, rather than the usual 130. F1 is also cutting back on broadcast personnel, taking only 60 staff to each race rather than the usual 250, aided by a shift to remote broadcasting operations.

British and Spanish GP promoters have already offered refunds or deferrals to fans who bought tickets for 2020, though F1 hopes to open races to spectators later in the season if and when the risks from COVID-19 have substantially reduced. Unlike in Premier League football, there will be no additional events shown free-to-air in the UK - save for Channel 4's existing deal to broadcast highlights of each race plus the British GP live.

"Fans are incredibly important, we'd love to have fans at these events," says Carey. "But we recognise the safety requirements and the risks that still exist, and we have to take steps towards that. We've talked about goals to have fans at the races in the fall [autumn]. It may not be back to stands that are packed to the rafters, but limited capacity fan events. It is a goal realistically to do it in a way when we believe we can do it safely for everybody."

All of which is to say, like much of the constant planning and re-planning required in this highly unusual time for Formula 1, watch this space...