Sainz: ‘Impossible to know’ when 2020 season will start

Jamie Woodhouse
Carlos Sainz McLaren PA

Carlos Sainz McLaren PA

McLaren’s Carlos Sainz believes it is “impossible to know” when the 2020 season can officially get underway.

Already the first seven rounds of the 2020 Formula 1 season have been put on the shelf due to the coronavirus outbreak, with the rounds in Australia and Monaco cancelled outright.

Currently the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from 5-7 June looks the most likely starting point for the 2020 season, but teams have given Liberty Media and the FIA full control over designing a new calendar.

Sainz says though that right now it’s “impossible to know” when the season will begin.

“It’s a question that I don’t think anyone knows at the moment,” he is quoted by Racefans.net.

“It’s impossible to know, but hopefully soon. Hopefully we’ll stay home, it will happen quickly and soon and then we can all go back to our normal lives. But it’s definitely a strange situation.”

The season-opening Australian Grand Prix was cancelled just hours before FP1 with McLaren’s withdrawal following a team member testing positive for COVID-19 starting to the chain of events which led to the cancellation.

Sainz fortunately tested negative for the virus and is now self-isolating back at home in Spain.

“I’m feeling great,” he said. “I’ve been obviously self-quarantine these last few days since we came back from Australia.

“But I am feeling great, honestly, I’m training more than ever because there’s so much time to do it. This pre-season training went well, but you always want to get more session in that I couldn’t get in and I’m trying to get them in now.”