Button: Time for Formula 1 "to take risks"

Jenson Button has called on Formula 1 "to take risks" and experiment with new ideas over the early part of the 2020 season.

F1 has unveiled an eight-race European start to the campaign, with all events behind closed doors, and for the first time back-to-back grands prix at the same circuit, with Austria's Red Bull Ring and Silverstone hosting double-headers.

Button feels those races represent the ideal opportunity for F1 to try something different - although reverse-grid qualifying races on a Saturday have been vetoed by Mercedes.

"Mixing it up a little bit is great for the sport, so let's hope something fun like that happens," said the 2009 F1 champion, speaking on Virgin Radio.

"It's definitely the time to take risks, and if it does go wrong, it goes wrong, and you go back to the old system.

"But I think it's a great idea to take those risks right now, come out of the gates, throw it at the fans and put a smile on their faces.

"And then in a couple of years' time we've got the new regulations, which is good, a budget cut mainly, which is going to hurt the bigger teams and hopefully bring the smaller teams up to the bigger teams and we'll have more competition.

"That is going to be fantastic, and I'm sure the bigger teams don't like that because why would they? But the smaller teams need it to succeed, and the sport needs it for those smaller teams to succeed."

Button, who is also a pundit for Sky Sports, has revealed the level of testing that will be in place for when he attends grands prix, starting with the new season-opener on July 5.

Although there is likely to be up to 2,000 people on site for a race, Button added: "Just in case people are wondering - because there are so many people in the paddock - 'well, this isn't correct, so many people being together'.

"But we get checked before we travel, when we arrive, and we're not allowed in the circuit until they get the results, and then every two days they check us again, so it's non-stop checking. We're being very safe."

While the empty grandstands will provide a sad backdrop to racing, the 40-year-old feels it will not have an impact on the drivers once they pull the visor down.

"Racing is starting again, which is fantastic," said Button. "It's going to be interesting. When the drivers are actually racing, they will forget about the grandstands being empty and they'll put on a great show for us.

"I'm really looking forward to it. I think everyone is really excited to get back to racing - I think everyone is excited about seeing live sport on TV."

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