Where Could Formula One Race?

We started the week looking at where IndyCar could run a centralized championship in wake of the covid-19 outbreak. This centralized approach to sports is being explore in multiple countries for multiple sports leagues, from the NHL in North America to the Premier League in England. We will continue this three-part motorsports series with Formula One.

The best option might be one that was not even on the 2020 Formula One calendar.

While Silverstone proposed hosting multiple races on multiple configurations and even suggested running races in reverse direction. There are logistical issues, especially reverse direction where runoff and barriers are not up to safety standards for that course but public health is the greatest barrier to any event taking place.

Wherever races take place that country has to have the virus under control. The races would still likely be behind closed doors but the events cannot stress the public health system and take away resources from treating those with the virus.

Silverstone was the first to raise its hand to host multiple events. With the number of teams based in England it would require the least amount of travel and cost less for the teams but conditions remain rough in the United Kingdom.

One country where things are looking up is Germany. Surprise!

The Bundesliga eyes restarting its 2019-20 season on May 9 with remaining games taking place behind closed doors. Germany has been advanced on testing and it has enough venues to choose from for Formula One. The ironic part is Germany was not on the 2020 Formula One schedule.

The Nürburgring tops the list of possible venues because it is up to FIA Grade 1 circuit standards and it has multiple layouts.

There is the grand prix layout, the 3.199-mile circuit that began hosting races in 2002 and last hosted Formula One in 2013.

There is the pre-2002 grand prix layout, a 2.831-mile circuit with a right-left chicane at the end of the main straightaway instead of the arena section.

There is the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters layout, 2.255 miles in length with 11 corners that includes the arena section.

There is the shorter sprint layout, which is the DTM circuit, minus the arena section, cutting the circuit length to 1.9 miles.

All four of those layouts can be combined with the Nördschleife and that would give you track lengths of 16.123 miles, 15.769 miles, 15.183 miles and 14.829 miles.

The Nördschleife inclusion would be over the top. As desperate as Formula One is for races and as exhilarating seeing Formula One cars whiz through Flugplatz, dash through Fuchsröhe and dance around the Karussell it is not going to happen. Four events at one track is a pretty good haul but the minimum number of races necessary for a world championship is eight. As easy as it would be to run each Nürburgring layout twice that is boring. We need more variety.

Hockenheim hosted a race last year and it would be a natural landing spot but Hockenheim is boring. It has one decent layout. There is a national circuit option, which DTM used before, but the only difference is it turns off in the middle of the parabolika and doesn't use the hairpin, not that exciting. Perhaps an alteration could be made that sees the cars bypass the arena section and create a straightaway from the hairpin to the right-hand turn entering the stadium section. That circuit would be about 2.7 miles in length but that's it for Hockenheim and the remaining rounds will have to take place elsewhere.

Though Formula One has never been to EuroSpeedway Lausitz, the venue has a few different configurations. The oval is off the table but the grand prix circuit is 2.7 miles in length and previously hosted A1GP. We were supposed to see an 18-degree banked final corder at Zandvoort but a 5.7-degree first turn can be arranged at Lausitz. Using oval turn one with the grand prix circuit extends the track to 2.817 miles. DTM utilized a short course at Lausitz for a handful of years measured at 2.161 miles in length. Including oval turn one in the short course has a length of 2.12 miles.

Ten races, all based in Germany, would be a suitable schedule for Formula One all things considered. Let's aim for a July start and at Hockenheim on July 12 on the grand prix circuit with the second round on July 19 on the altered circuit.

From there the series can head east to Lausitz for its first round on the DTM short course on August 2 with the oval turn short course following on August 9. The teams can get a week off before moving to the grand prix circuit on August 23 with the oval turn one grand prix circuit the following week on August 30.

The season concludes at the Nürburgring but the teams will get two weeks off because the track is busy the first two weekends of September. GT World Challenge Europe will be there on September 6 and DTM will be there on September 13. Formula One can hit the DTM circuit on September 20 with the shorter sprint layout hosting a round on September 27.

On October 11, the pre-2002 grand prix layout hosts the penultimate round with the season closing on the full grand prix layout on October 18.

It will cost a little bit of money and it will be tougher on some teams more than others. The teams would have to stay in Germany, which is great for Mercedes though it is based in Brackley, but difficult for majority of the teams. It will require teams to be secluded from their homes and families for the better part of four months. Truth be told wherever a centralized championship is held will be inconvenient to at least one team. If it is England, a lot of teams benefit but Ferrari, AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo lose out. If it is in Germany, on paper, no teams would be working out of its actual factory. Every team would be at an equal disadvantage, though advantage Mercedes through home soil. Wherever the races take place someone was bound to have a slight advantage.

This could be the best shot Formula One has at a season. Ten races, enough for a championship, a season ending in the middle of October like once was usual and a four-and-a-half month offseason before we can resume the uncertainty in 2021.