PARIS: Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel on Friday cautioned against the temptation to shoehorn too many Formula One races into a revised calendar, describing the move as “not realistic.”
The 22-event F1 season has been decimated by the coronavirus with nine races either canceled or postponed.
The French Grand Prix scheduled for June 28 is also in doubt as is the Belgian Grand Prix, set for Aug. 30.
F1 chiefs have floated the idea of making up for lost time by staging races on successive weekends or even having two races on the same weekend.
However, Ferrari star Vettel fears such a move could lead to burnout for team staff.
“We drivers are a little privileged,” Vettel told reporters by teleconference from his home in Switzerland.
“Of course, the races are tiring but there have to be limits for the staff. They must rest.
“We must also see if it is easy to reschedule races, if the circuits are not already taken. Many questions remain. I think the schedule will be busier, but 10 consecutive weekends is not realistic.”
Vettel suggested that he would favor staging races without fans if it allowed a quick resumption as long as it did not become a common feature.
Other sports have already toyed with the idea of staging events behind closed doors.
For example, the US PGA Tour on Thursday announced plans to resume in June, with the first four tournaments being closed to spectators.
“It’s complicated,” admitted Vettel. “On the one hand, there is the health of the sport, on the other, that of the people who work in the paddock and especially the fans.
“There are several options. No one likes to run in front of empty stands, but we will have to see if it will not allow us to resume much sooner.
“The first races will probably be a little different, but not too much, I hope, because we want to run in front of the fans.”
Vettel insists that for him even a 10-race season is just as valuable as a 22-race campaign.
However, he admits that the damage to the sport caused by the coronavirus pandemic could be fatal for the smaller teams on the grid.
Without racing, the massive TV and sponsorship revenues have dried up.
Half of the teams have already started furloughing staff.
Teams have agreed to lower the spending cap from $175 million to $150 million.
“Clearly, some small teams are in danger and, as a family, F1 has to take care of its own,” said Vettel.
Back-to-back racing overload as ‘not realistic,’ says Vettel
https://arab.news/rh232
Back-to-back racing overload as ‘not realistic,’ says Vettel
US invests in counter-drone tech to protect FIFA World Cup venues
The US will invest $115 million in counter-drone measures to bolster security around the FIFA World Cup and America’s 250th Anniversary celebrations, the Department of Homeland Security said on Monday, the latest sign of governments stepping up drone defenses.
The FIFA World Cup will be a major test of President Donald Trump’s pledge to keep the US secure, with over a million travelers expected to visit for the tournament and billions more watching matches from overseas.
The threat of drone attacks has become a growing concern since the war in Ukraine has demonstrated their lethal capabilities. And recent drone incidents have worried both European and US airports.
“We are entering a new era to defend our air superiority to protect our borders and the interior of the United States,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. Defense companies are developing a range of technologies aimed at countering drones, including tracking software, lasers, microwaves and autonomous machine guns.
The DHS did not specify which technologies it would deploy to World Cup venues. The announcement comes weeks after the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which sits under DHS, said it granted $250 million to 11 states hosting World Cup matches to buy counter-drone technologies.
Last summer, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, called on Trump, a Republican, to bolster federal support for defending against drone attacks.
