Steiner hopes for at least 8 races in 2020

Gunther Steiner is hoping Formula 1 can organise at least 8 grands prix in 2020.

Officially, the sport’s bosses Chase Carey and Ross Brawn are hoping to cobble together a fast-paced, tightly-packed calendar of up to 18 or 19 races for the second half of the year, potentially spreading into early 2021.

Haas boss Steiner doubts that will happen, but he disagrees that 2020 will or should be called off completely.

"I think we will have a world championship, at least with a few races," he is quoted by Italy’s Autosprint.

"I hope we will have between 8 and 12. I would be happy with that, maybe starting in August, but this is just my hope, my thought," Steiner added.

Potentially complicating the situation is that coronavirus struck the sport and the world right in the middle of F1’s negotiations with the teams over the next Concorde Agreement.

Steiner acknowledged: "This year there was the expiring contract to be renewed for the next five years, but now is not the time to talk about such things.

"We need to think about surviving the year," he added.

McLaren driver Carlos Sainz agrees that he is also hoping 2020 does not have to be cancelled completely.

"There are days on which I am more optimistic than others, but in general I prefer to think that there will be less races than everything being cancelled," he told Spanish media.

"If the situation is not controlled it would be completely understandable, but it would have very negative consequences for the sport and everything around it."