Brawn warns F1 Covid restrictions will carry on into 2021

Formula 1 managng director motorsports Ross Brawn has confirmed he expects the Covid restrictions of this season to remain in place throughout the 2021 campaign.

In order to allow for racing to resume in July, F1 and the FIA put in place numerous restrictions and regulations to ensure the safety of those in and around the paddock.

Teams were forced to work with limited crews, a rigorous testing regime was introduced and hospitality was banned outright, while driver briefings and press calls were held via online services such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

It had been hoped, especially with the announcement of a vaccine, the situation would return to normal next year, but Brawn has confirmed this will not be the case.

“We’re not going to go into next year with a switch turned," he told the F1 Nation podcast.

"We’re going to have to carry on and learn from what we have learned this year and be as diligent because the vaccines aren’t going to become effective until some time during the year in terms of the number so we’re going to need to continue testing."

While delivering the news, Brawn conceded that, while there would indeed be certain restrictions in place, the procedures may not be exactly the same as those enforced this year. He added: “The testing regime may change. The methodology may change but we’re going to have another year undoubtedly of having to be super-diligent and apply the protocols again.”

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