LONDON: A factory shutdown for Formula One teams and engine makers has been extended for a second time to a period of 63 consecutive days due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the governing FIA said yesterday.
It said in a statement that its World Motor Sport Council had approved an extension, running potentially into June depending on when teams started their closures, from the previous 35 days.
The shutdown, first announced in March when the sport was hoping to race in May, was initially for 21 days but that was extended on April 7.
Teams normally take most of August off, but that period has now been freed up to give Formula One room to reschedule a string of races postponed due to the new coronavirus.
The season is on hold, with the sport targeting an opening double-header in Austria in July, without spectators if the government gives the green light.