Baku needs time to reschedule 2020 race

Baku circuit officials say the venue needs two months of lead time to organise a rescheduled Azerbaijan GP later in 2020.

Formula 1 is busily considering alternative plans for this year’s race calendar, after the opening eight races on the original schedule were cancelled or postponed.

Baku would like its race rescheduled, but circuit spokesperson Gulnaz Guliyeva said: "We have a city race, so unlike some other circuits, we must carry out construction work.

"That requires us to know the date at least two months before the start of the race. Apparently, the period in August-September will be used for the postponed races," he added.

Guliyeva insisted that, unlike some other races, Baku has not been cancelled.

"At the moment, only two races have been cancelled - Australia and Monaco. But of course everything now depends on the situation with the spread of the coronavirus pandemic around the world, not only on Azerbaijan.

"As you know, there is a contract, there are obligations, this is not a unilateral decision," he told the local source Sputnik.