Villeneuve: Scrap the season and hold non-championship races!

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Ex-F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve believes Formula 1 should call off its 2020 season and set up instead a series of non-championship events when its safe to go racing again.

So far, F1 has cancelled or postponed eight races amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the Canadian Grand Prix now set to kick off the championship on June 14.

However, the event in Montreal is also at risk of being called off while France and Austria could also be handing by a thread. As for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone scheduled for July 19, its organisers will make a final call on their event at the end of this month.

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Villeneuve isn't expecting the coast to be clear for F1 until September given the time that will be needed to re-activate the championship after confinement restrictions are lifted around the world.

"Even if the world opens up and we can have a Grand Prix after the pandemic, it takes time to set up an event," the 1997 F1 world champion told French broadcaster Canal Plus.

"The first Grands Prix on the calendar should take place in September. I imagine the various organizations and Formula 1's owners will want to hold the maximum amount of races to comply with their contracts' minimum requirement, but that would be a mistake.

"It would be a pity to start filling up August and then have races unfold from September until Christmas, and even beyond, just for the sake of having a championship."

Villeneuve's solution? Discarding the season - a suggestion also put forward by Bernie Ecclestone - and setting up a series of non-championship races marketed as one-off big events.

"It might be smarter to say: 'There won't be a championship. We'll race and each race will be a unique event, like the Indy 500 or the Le Mans 24 Hours,'" suggested the 11-time Grand Prix winner.

"Each Grand Prix would be like a Grand Slam rather a round of half of a championship.

"it would also allow teams to use the end of 2020 to prepare for 2021."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.