London - The British Grand Prix will likely be moved back from July to August to accommodate the UK government’s chaotic handling of the quarantine issue.
There seems to be a strong desire at Downing Street to find a way for the races to happen, with the official British GP set to be followed by a second round a week later.
August 2 and August 9 are the two dates being looked at by organisers.
Those events would follow the opening two races in Austria on July 5 and July 12, with a possible third race in Hungary on July 19 as part of a three-week stretch before the teams head back to Britain.
Formula One bosses hope they will then be granted the freedom to avoid the 14-day isolation period that is due to come in for arrivals from abroad on June 8. That policy is due to be reviewed every three weeks.
Boris Johnson has told the Cabinet to "make F1 happen".
Meanwhile, the shape of the post-Covid-19 Formula One landscape emerged on Tuesday with McLaren announcing it would cut 1200 jobs across the group - road car, technology and F1.
About 70 jobs will be axed in its F1 sector, partly a response to the budget cap, which is set to be voted through by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council today. The limit of $145million for next year will be reduced to $135m for 2022 and $130m for the year after.
"We’ve no choice but to reduce the size of our workforce," said McLaren chairman Paul Walsh. "This is undoubtedly a challenging time for our company and particularly our people. But we plan to emerge as an efficient, sustainable business with a clear course for returning to growth."