Szafnauer: "I expect that the lockdown in F1 will be extended"

All events surrounding the coronavirus have hit the F1 teams hard. A number of teams even had to take measures in order not to get into immediate financial difficulties. According to team boss Otmar Szafnauer of Racing Point, the lockdown and everything that has happened around it has ensured that everyone in Formula 1 has started to look realistically at the current situation.

"We have to learn that these things can happen," says Szafnauer about the situation of COVID-19. "We need to start applying things now, such as a prudent budget cap, so that when this happens again, everyone is financially healthier," he notes at Formula1.com.

"Of course, the consequences are major. We had to shut everything down completely. We're in lockdown at the moment, so there's been no development. Besides, little money has been spent, so that's a good thing. We have now extended the lockdown in Formula 1 by two weeks, but I expect that it will be extended one more time. In principle, everything is still at a standstill for the coming period".

Racing Point was one of the five teams that chose to send team members on leave. According to Szafnauer, this caused few problems and was relatively well received. "Everyone was very compassionate. I think many understand, we explained it well. Of course there is doubt, because you can't predict the future, but if you clarify the ambiguities, you get a better understanding of the situation," concludes Szafnauer.