Williams: 'We could have 15 races, eight races, or zero races'

Williams

Williams: 'We could have 15 races, eight races, or zero races'

Limited or no racing in 2020 would cause major damage to the Williams team

Sam Hall

Tuesday 21 April 2020 11:45 Updated: 13:30

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams has echoed the statement of Haas boss Guenther Steiner, saying that racing this year is 'absolutely critical' to the survival of the team.

Without the big money of Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull, Williams are facing an uncertain time and the deputy team principal says that without racing, there is no guarantee that the team will survive.

"Clearly a big part of that is about when we are able to go racing again, particularly for a team like ours," Williams told Sky Sports News. "We're one of the true independents left, we don't have the backing that the majority of our competitors have up and down the grid.

Haas boss Steiner unsure on team futureRead more

"For us, going racing is absolutely critical this year. But as I said, it has to be when it's safe to do so. We just hope that we can get back to the race track this year, go racing, and really for us, we can take it from there."

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Various numbers are being banded around with regards to how many races may or may not take place in 2020 but, with the situation constantly evolving, it is impossible give an exact date for when Formula 1 could return or indeed how many races will be on the calendar.

Silverstone 'ready' for race double header in 2020 calendar shake-upRead more

Silverstone are understood to have been in talks about hosting multiple events across the year, but there is a growing acceptance that it may be impossible to hit the 18-19 races targeted by Formula 1 motorsports managing director Ross Brawn.

“We just don't know whether we will have 15 races, eight races or zero races,” continued Williams. “Clearly we hope it is more, rather than less.

"I certainly don't envy Chase Carey [F1 chairman] and F1's job at the moment trying to work out how, from an original 22-race schedule, they can put in as many races as they can when we are in the situation we are in.

"We do not know when lockdowns are going to be lifted and even if they are lifted in one country, are they going to be lifted in an another country? How do you move what is in effect an entire sport that comprises an awful lot of people? That is a lot of people crossing borders."