Will there a 2020 Championship? As Covid-19 Effects Catch's Up With The World's Fastest Racing Series

Image by wendy1704 from Pixabay 

             There is no running away from the effects of Covid-19 as Formula 1 makes a last hour decision to call of Australian Grand Prix. Shortly after the announcement of Aus GP being cancelled, Bahrain and Vietnam's Grand Prix have been called of. The record breaking 22 race F1 calendar year has now been reduced to 18 races while other European races hang in doubt as WHO announces Europe as the epicenter of Covid-19 Corona virus. Honestly, the chances of the European races being held seem very bleak with Italy and Spain announcing a lock-down. The realistic season stater could be the Monaco Grand Prix scheduled to start on May 21st. Apart from the Canadian Grand Prix on Jun 12, all the other European races may be held subject to a decrease of Covid-19.

Since 1950's the least number races held for Formula 1 is "7", which means the minimum number for a championship to be held could be 7 races. However the question remains will teams risk their personal and drivers to hold these races? Currently with no known treatment for corona virus, and it continuing to spread like a wildfire its difficult to hold there races. Even if these races are held how many of the fans will turn up? With fears of Corona virus spreading and F1 restricting access to the teams and drives the number could be far less.

A New Opportunity?

With lockdowns in place there is a surge in Internet traffic, the question is can Formula 1 make use of it? If the races are held, my opnion is that they should make it free to air or stream the race on Youtube. With the surge of internet activity Formula 1 may be able to win back some of its falling viewership numbers

Will 2021 Championship be affected as well?

With huge regulation changes for the upcoming 2021 season there is zero doubt that teams have already started working on the 2021 car, but with recent developments of Covid-19 there will be a certain impact on  2021 development work.
Will teams be prepared for the 2021 Championship? Will Covid-19 die down before start of next season? These are questions that will be answered in due course of time.

Will Lewis Hamilton Reach 91 Wins in 2020?

91 Wins - The number of wins by Micheal Schumacer, highest any driver has. Lewis Hamilton is a close second with 84 wins, just 7 shy of the record.

The good and the greats are generally differentiated with very few traits, its those traits that make certain drivers great. A traits that I consider is most important and one that differentiates the good and the greats is "CONSISTENCY".  The ability to consistently perform at a very high level throughout the season is what takes to win grand Prix and ultimately a formula one championship.

So, the question is can Hamilton reach 91 wins this year? My Opinion: Yes he will, but not easily.
 Hamilton needs 7 wins this year to achieve the record but its not as easy a target as his previous years. Though Hamilton has averaged around 10 wins a year, he generally had just one or two (mostly Ferrari) competitors that fought him for the wins. This year its a bit different, he has to fend of Max Vestappen in a seemingly quick Redbull car, Charles Leclerc who will want to repay the trust shown him by Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel who wants to come back strong this year to prove himself and finally the improving Valterri Bottas.
If Lewis Hamilton can keep up his consistency of delivery results week in week out like he generally does, more often than not he should find himself on the top step of the podium. Mercedes, a consistent, highly motivated and a top team paired with Lewis Hamilton has been a dominant force and this is what makes me believe that he will match or surpass Micheal Schumacer's record of 91 wins.


Hamilton's wins during the hybrid era: