'Cool' reverse races would put drivers on a par - Leclerc

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As Formula 1 whips up contingency plans to save its season when the racing resumes, Charles Leclerc believes that reverse races are an idea that holds merit.

Formula 1 is facing the possibility of squeezing a maximum number of events within a compressed time frame this year, depending on when the sport gets the green light to raise the curtain on its disrupted 2020 season.

Plans for rebuilding a basic calendar include double and triple-header weekends, but the idea of holding two races over a single weekend has also been tabled, with the Red Bull Ring in Austria and Britain's Silverstone both open to such a scheme that would likely take place behind closed doors.

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But a plan involving running a second race in the opposite direction on certain tracks has also been suggested, and Leclerc has labeled the idea as "cool", having experienced reversed layouts in karting.

"You can always argue about the merits of using the same track more than once, but you have to look at the situation," the Ferrari driver told the media earlier this week.

"Running them the other way round would be cool. It means we would have to learn the track from scratch. We did it in karting.

"Drivers with a lot of experience would suddenly have less knowledge. All drivers would be on a par."

As enticing as the idea might seem for F1 fans, it is unlikely to come to pass because the architecture of most circuits is designed for a single direction.

In many cases, running a layout in reverse would require significant changes to kerbs or run-off areas, as Silverstone boss Stuart Pringle recently explained.

"Probably the most far-fetched example of breaking the old rule book, status quo, is running in reverse, because we know there are sections of the track that would require quite a bit of work and that’s probably not practical or sensible," he said.

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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.