Should Formula 1 consider an 18-month 'Super Season'?
Should Formula 1 consider an 18-month 'Super Season'?
With five of the opening seven Formula 1 grands prix of 2020 postponed and two others cancelled, and with teams running this year's cars in 2021, it begs the question - should F1 consider an elongated campaign through to the end of next season?
The idea of an 18-month season, mooted between GPFans writers following an off-the-cuff remark, seems less ridiculous and increasingly more sensible as time goes by due to the grip taken by the coronavirus pandemic.
Following a conference call between F1 bosses and team principals on Thursday, it was decided the technical regulation changes for 2021 would be pushed back by a year, and the 2020 cars would run throughout next season.
Given that aerodynamic developments and improvements to the power units will be allowed but changes to the chassis and other technical components will not, it is highly likely the outcome of the 2021 season would mirror whatever unfolds this year.
There is also every likelihood you would have bored fans and a dip in the live television ratings.
However, if instead of rushing to squeeze in each race by lining up triple headers and, as suggested by Martin Brundle, quadruple headers, F1 slotted in three or four of the postponed events into the minimal gaps available while holding the rest off until February or March 2021, a 'Super Season' of around 35 grand prix could unfold.
In order to push the 24 Hours of Le Mans to the end of a season, the World Endurance Championship ran an 18-month campaign across 2018 and 2019, seeing a spike in interest. Admittedly, there are far fewer races per year in WEC than in F1.
But don't forget, with the chassis remaining the same, pre-season testing in February would not be required. Instead, a postponed race that runs in warmer climes could potentially be held early in 2021.
There are hurdles, naturally, such as McLaren's switch from Renault to Mercedes power units that is due to take place at the end of this season.
And then there numerous new driver deals to resolve, with Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel all out of contract at the end of this year, while teams will also have numerous sponsorship arrangements in place that will not be renewed into 2021.
No-one said such an idea would be easy, but a 'Super Season' could turn a loss-making global crisis into a potentially very profitable outcome.
As Lewis Hamilton recently said, "cash is king", and if a 'Super Season' could bring in a few additional sponsors, then the idea may yet turn the head of F1 CEO Chase Carey.
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 Qualifying Results: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 times as Hamilton crashes out in Q1
- 2 minutes ago
Chinese Grand Prix Sprint 2024 results: Final classification with penalties applied
- 1 hour ago
Chinese Grand Prix qualifying red flagged after unusual HIGH SPEED crash
- 9 minutes ago
Hamilton suffers CATASTROPHIC F1 qualifying after early exit
- 28 minutes ago
F1 Chinese Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today from Shanghai
- 53 minutes ago
Perez hits 'engineer's brother' in Chinese GP incident
- 1 hour ago
Related news
F1 reveal remarkable 109m TV audience for Hamilton Verstappen Abu Dhabi showdown
Masi made the right decision in 'heart-pumping' finale - Grosjean
F1 battle of the team-mates
F1's best moments from a chaotic and controversial 2021
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860