McLaren boss Zak Brown - summertime racing for F1 "if the world allows us"

Formula 1

Summertime racing for F1 "if the world allows us" - McLaren CEO Zak Brown

Brown still in self-isolation following the Australian Grand Prix

Ian Parkes

Tuesday 24 March 2020 10:51 Updated: 14:56

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McLaren CEO Zak Brown has set his sights on Formula 1 returning in the summertime, but only "if the world allows us to".

Despite the ongoing severity of the coronavirus pandemic, F1 has confirmed the prospect of a "revised calendar of between 15-18 races" that CEO Chase Carey is expecting to start "at some point this summer".

At the moment, following eight races that have either been postponed or cancelled, the earliest the season can begin is with the Canadian GP on June 14, but that race is also expected to be called off.

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Assessing the situation, Brown said: “Obviously there has been a lot of races that have been postponed.

“I want to let you know that McLaren, along with all the teams, Formula 1 and the FIA are working very closely together to do everything we can that when the world becomes a safer place to go racing, that we’ll go racing and hopefully have as much of our racing schedule preserved.

“There are plans in place to start up in the summertime, if the world allows us to, and still get in quite a bit of the racing season. So hopefully that will happen. I know we all miss our racing.

"I think we will come back and be that much more appreciative of everything we all have, but for right now, what's most important is the safety of everyone - you, us, everyone in Formula One and the IndyCar community."

It was a McLaren team member who tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the Australian Grand Prix that led to the race being called off, described by Brown as a "very disappointing situation for all of us".

But Brown, currently in self-isolation, recognised that "the health of our team, the fans, and everyone involved in the sport is much more important than another race we can do at another time".

Since then, seven other races have fallen victim to the coronavirus.

Brown, though, insists McLaren plans to stay active with its fans.

“In situations like this once you kind of get your head around it and you kind of protect your team and protect your business you can start looking at some fun, creative ways to maybe engage with you, our fans," said Brown.

"Esports certainly seems to be very popular at the moment and I think will only grow in excitement and in stature. And doing things on social media, so we certainly plan on continuing to communicate with you, and us all sharing in this great sport that we love so much.

"So stay healthy, follow the government advice, and we'll all get through this together, and hopefully we'll get back to racing soon."