12/06/2020
NEWS STORY
F1 MD, Ross Brawn has revealed a number of tweaks to the usual event procedures this season including the scrapping of the traditional podium.
"Because of the implementation of the procedures, we need to be safe and sure of the COVID-19 situation," he tells the official F1 website. "The practises we have had in the past just can't be done. The very packed grid that was a feature of F1 racing just can't happen.
"So every aspect from the time teams arrive to the time they leave has been thought through and it's not completely finalised, but we're working with the FIA to polish it," he added.
"The podium procedure can't happen as it does now," he continued, "but we're looking at doing something on the grid after the race. One option would be to line the cars up on the track and the drivers will stand in front of cars.
"We can't present the trophies, as you can't have someone in close proximity presenting a trophy, but we have worked it out, we have plans and procedures, we're looking at how we can present it on TV."
In terms of the pre-race protocols, he said: "Things like the national anthem, you can't have all the drivers grouped together and you can't have our FIA Future Stars stood in front of them.
"The FIA Future Stars will still be part of the show virtually. They will have the uniforms sent to them and they'll send us videos of them with a message which we can play so there are lots of things we can do to make it entertaining.
"The drivers' parade won't happen as we can't put 20 drivers on the back of a truck and take it round the track," he added, a pretty pointless exercise anyway considering that there won't be any fans to cheer them on, "so instead we will interview with each one of them in front of the garage. There's plenty of ways we can engage without compromising health and safety.
"I'm 100% confident that we will make it an engaging and exciting product," he insists, "it will just be different.
"This is the new norm. How long will this carry on? We don't know, but this will be the new norm for the rest of the year for sure."