- Title: F1 can save season with double-headers, says Rosberg
- Date: 15th April 2020
- Summary: IBIZA, SPAIN (APRIL 15, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) 2016 FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPION, NICO ROSBERG, SAYING: "Regulation wise I believe it says that it needs to be more than eight races but eight would be really…. that's not a lot. So I would love to see if it is eight-race weekends I would love to see eight double headers at the very least so we get 16 races bec
- Embargoed: 29th April 2020 17:38
- Keywords: COVID-19 Coronavirus Esports Formula One Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Nico Rosberg
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: Monaco
- Topics: Motor Racing,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001C9LS7Y7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Formula One needs at least 16 races for a proper championship this year but eight double-header weekends would do if the COVID-19 pandemic limits options, Nico Rosberg said on Wednesday (April 15).
The regulations demand a minimum of eight races but the German, who beat Mercedes team mate and now six-times world champion Lewis Hamilton to the 2016 title, told Reuters more were needed for credibility.
"I would love to see eight double headers at the very least so we get 16 races because statistically of course the fewer races you have the more likely that it is an outsider is going to be world champion," he said.
"If the favourite like Lewis Hamilton has a stroke of bad luck that could really switch things round which is not great because for a championship you want to take away luck as much as possible," he added.
"You want to have it as wide and as big as possible."
Formula One has said it hopes to run a reduced championship of 15-18 races from the European summer in a season that has yet to start due to the pandemic.
The original 2020 calendar envisaged a record 22 races.
There have also been discussions about continuing the season into 2021 and running more than one race at the same circuit while condensing others into two days to enable more to be rescheduled.
Much depends, however, on countries coming out of the new coronavirus lockdown and allowing sporting events and mass gatherings again.
Rosberg also believes all the F1 teams need to work together for the sport to survive the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent shutdown of the sport
McLaren boss Zak Brown warned earlier this month that up to four of the 10 teams could disappear if the situation was not handled correctly.
Rosberg said Formula One would cease to function if the sport did not have the 10 teams insisting that all of the bigger teams needed to play their part for the better good of F1.
Five British-based teams have furloughed staff in response to a global pandemic that has stalled the season.
Formula One teams rely on their share of the sport's revenues, which come mostly from broadcasting deals, race hosting fees and sponsorship.
The opening race in Australia on March 15 was cancelled after a McLaren team member tested positive for the virus in Melbourne, with Monaco also axed and seven races so far postponed.
The sport hopes to start up in the European summer and is aiming for 15-18 races, possibly behind closed doors and potentially into the New Year.
Teams have agreed on a $150 million budget cap for 2021, still well above what some smaller teams spend but significantly less than Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull operate on.
There is a push for a reduction to $100 million but Ferrari, who like Mercedes sell their engines to other teams, are reluctant to go that far and want the cap to reflect the investment they have to make.
Formula One has taken other measures already to help teams get through 2020, postponing major rule changes from 2021 to 2022 with teams using the same cars next year as this.
The teams are currently on a factory shutdown, with the August break cancelled to allow maximum flexibility for rescheduling
In the absence of real racing around the world, a range of esports series have emerged to fill the void with Formula One also putting on a series of virtual grands prix with some of the current drivers.
Athletes have also had to train at home under lockdown conditions, but Rosberg, who is currently at his home in Ibiza, felt the Formula One drivers had it easier than some others.
"If you look at cyclists, you have (Tour de France winner) Chris Froome. He has to do five or six hours a day on a spinning bike in his bathroom," he said.
"In F1 it's a little bit easier because...nobody can practise their car driving. So it's really the same for everybody and all you can do is stay fit, which is a little bit easier."
Rosberg said he would have done plenty of esports in their situation.
"It's surely not going to be a negative to keep training my brain to react at high speed at things that are coming at me in a racing environment," he explained.
"It's quite nice to see as well how esports has such a boom now. I've been watching some of the races and it's incredible firstly how real it looks and secondly how entertaining it is.
"It really is fun to watch, you can enjoy it so there's a great future for esports and that's another big, big area which has benefited from this crisis and it's going to keep going I think afterwards."
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