Will the 2020 French Grand Prix be the next Formula 1 championship race postponed due to the coronavirus crisis? It certainly seems very likely.

Scheduled for June 26-28th at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France, the French Grand Prix will officially host the first race of the year after the Canadian Grand Prix was postponed on Tuesday.

But this Wednesday evening, Formula 1 sports manager Ross Brawn expressed the wish to see the 2020 season start in Europe in July with the possibility of holding races behind closed doors. 

“Our view is probably that a good start [to the season] in Europe will be good and it could even be a closed event. We could have a very closed environment, where the teams come in with charters, we’d take them out on the track, we’d make sure everyone is tested and cleared so there’s no risk to anyone. ” said Ross Brawn.

“To have a race without spectators. It’s not great, but it’s better than no race at all. We have to remember that there are millions of people who follow the sport at home.”

Certainly, it’s tricky to know if the season will start at all at this rate; F1 must run eight races for a season to be classed as a world championship.

“If you wanted a drop-dead point it would be October,” Brawn said.

It’s always interesting to see how bookmakers view the situation. At the time of writing, SBD says oddsmakers predict there’s a 33% chance the Formula 1 season won’t start at all.

Formula 1 is under increasing pressure, particularly from the biggest teams such as Ferrari, to get the season started in any which way possible. Brawn confirmed that “every permutation is being discussed” and included ending the season well into next year.

It seems the Covid 19 virus will continue to shape the future of our sport for this year and probably forever.