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Saturday's Formula 1 news roundup: Lewis Hamilton, Jean Todt, Chase Carey

Saturday's Formula 1 news roundup: Hamilton, Todt, Carey
© Reuters
Here, Sports Mole rounds up the latest Formula 1 news on Saturday, July 25.

Sports Mole rounds up all of the latest news regarding Formula 1 on Saturday, July 25.

Saturday morning's Formula 1 news roundup:


Coronavirus latest: Which sports have resumed and when will the rest follow?

The Premier League and English Football League have announced their 2020-21 seasons will begin on September 12.

Meanwhile, Formula One has added three more European races in Germany, San Marino and Portugal after abandoning its American swing of the 2020 calendar, with four races in Texas, Mexico, Brazil and Canada all cancelled.

Here, the PA news agency takes a sport-by-sport look at how the calendar is shaping up.

Football

The Championship season came to a close on Wednesday night with none of the clubs knowing exactly when they would kick off again, but Premier League clubs will go into their own final round of fixtures this weekend with dates in the diary beyond Sunday.

A compressed season will kick off on September 12, with the Premier League drawing to a close on May 23 and the Championship's regular season due to conclude on May 9 before play-offs later in the month. The dates for domestic cup competitions are yet to be determined.

With no fans allowed in stadiums before October 1 at the earliest, it means the season will begin behind closed doors.

The new kick-off date means the final week of pre-season will be an international window, while it comes only three weeks after the scheduled Champions League final, in which Manchester City and Chelsea could yet be involved.

Formula One

Formula One has abandoned hopes of racing in the Americas in 2020, with four races in Texas, Mexico, Brazil and Canada all cancelled.

Instead, three further European races have been added at the Nurburgring, Imola and Portimao. Imola, synonymous with the death of triple world champion Ayrton Senna in 1994, will host a race on November 1, its first Grand Prix since 2006.

The race at Portimao will be the track's maiden grand prix and the first in Portugal since 1996.

Thirteen races have been announced so far, all in Europe, though three consecutive rounds in the Middle East are expected to be confirmed – with Bahrain to host two races before the Abu Dhabi season closer in December.

There remains hope a maiden race in Vietnam's capital Hanoi can be arranged for mid-November.

Golf

This year's Ryder Cup, scheduled for Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, has been postponed until 2021 due to the extent of the coronavirus crisis in the United States.

The Open has been cancelled for the first time since 1945, but the US Open and the Masters are still scheduled to take place in September and November respectively, with the year's first major the US PGA Championship being staged in San Francisco in early August.

The PGA Tour resumed in the US but a number of players withdrew from its events citing health concerns, and initial plans to allow some spectators at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio were scrapped.

The European Tour resumed on July 9 with the Austrian Open, prior to a six-tournament 'UK Swing' behind closed doors.

Cricket

The Men's T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Australia in October and November, was postponed – however, there is action.

England's delayed three-Test series against the West Indies is being played, amid strictly regulated and 'bio-secure' environments. Ireland will then play three one-day internationals in England between July 30 and August 4, before Pakistan provide Test and ODI opposition in August and September.

County cricket was given the go-ahead to start on August 1 by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Rugby union

The Gallagher Premiership restarts the 2019-20 season on August 14. There have been no matches played since March but clubs have resumed training. The competition will adopt the rule changes recommended by World Rugby to lower the risk of viral transmission.

The paused Six Nations is due to resume in October and conclude on the 31st, with the autumn internationals still slated for November.

The British and Irish Lions' tour to South Africa next summer is to go ahead as scheduled.

Rugby league

Leeds Rhinos v Warrington Wolves – Betfred Super League – Emerald Headingley Stadium
Headingley will stage the first Super League matches when the action resumes next month (PA)

Toronto Wolfpack have withdrawn from the remainder of the 2020 Super League season, citing the "overwhelming financial challenges" of the coronavirus crisis. Their results to this point have now been expunged from the records.

The action resumes on August 2 at Headingley – with games being played at a small number of neutral grounds.

The Canadian side were meant to be facing Hull KR but Monday's news means St Helens and Catalans Dragons get the action under way, before Huddersfield take on Leeds.

The clubs have agreed to a reduced competition, with a Grand Final taking place in November.

Tennis

Novak Djokovic File photo
Novak Djokovic has expressed doubts over playing at the US Open (PA)

There are question marks over the US Open after the cancellation of the Citi Open in Washington DC, which was due to begin on August 13.

The US Open is due to begin in New York on August 31, but there is now only one tournament – the Western & Southern Open at the same site on August 20 – scheduled before it takes place, and the ATP has said it is in close contact with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) over both events.

Leading players including Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have expressed doubts over playing at Flushing Meadows, though Serena Williams has committed to taking part.

Cycling

A revised schedule for the UCI World Tour takes place from August 1, with 25 events planned. The Tour de France will take place with an altered route starting on August 29 and concluding on September 20, while the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana will overlap in October.

A number of smaller races are beginning this month, with Team Ineos returning to action at the Vuelta Burgos which starts on July 28.

Snooker

The snooker season resumed with behind-closed-doors tournaments in Milton Keynes. The rearranged World Championships will start at the Crucible on July 31 and is due to be a test event for the presence of spectators.



Formula 1 confirms three more races for 2020 calendar

Chase Carey pictured on August 8, 2019© Reuters

Formula One has confirmed three more European races after abandoning its American swing of the 2020 calendar, with four races in Texas, Mexico, Brazil and Canada all cancelled.

The move comes with coronavirus infection rates in the United States, Mexico and Brazil among the highest in the world.

F1's decision to axe the races clears the way for the sport to return to Imola for the first time since 2006.

The San Marino venue, which is synonymous with the death of triple world champion Ayrton Senna in 1994, will stage its race on November 1. The grand prix will take place over just two days with no practice on Friday.

The sport's bosses have also confirmed that Portimao will host its first ever grand prix on October 25, with the Nurburgring returning to the calendar a fortnight earlier. The German track last staged a grand prix in 2013. The race in Portugal is set to be open to fans.

Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO of Formula 1, said: "We are pleased that we continue to make strong progress in finalising our plans for the 2020 season and are excited to welcome Nürburgring, Portimão and Imola to the revised calendar.

"We want to thank the promoters, the teams, and the FIA for their full support in our efforts to bring our fans exciting racing this season during an unprecedented time.

"We also want to pay tribute to our incredible partners in the Americas and look forward to being back with them next season when they will once again be able to thrill millions of fans around the world."

The additional three rounds announced on Friday extends this season's revised calendar to 13 races, with two grands prix at Silverstone (August 2 and August 9), and one in Spain (August 16) forming the next triple header.

There will also be rounds in Spa-Francorchamps (August 30), Monza (September 6), Mugello (September 13) and Russia on September 27.

Monza will be on the 2020 calendar
Monza will be on the 2020 calendar (David Davies/PA)

There remains hope a maiden race in Vietnam's capital Hanoi can be arranged for mid-November.

The campaign is set to end with three consecutive rounds in the Middle East – with Bahrain to host two races before the Abu Dhabi season closer in December.

Lewis Hamilton heads to his home race at Silverstone a week on Sunday with a five-point lead over Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the championship standings.


More news from Formula 1:

Todt, Ecclestone respond to Hamilton over racism
FIA president Jean Todt says he wants to keep "political debate" out of Formula 1. Read more.

F1 wanted spectators at 2020 Hockenheim race
Hockenheim will definitely not host a Formula 1 race in 2020. Read more.

Priest says Zanardi 'only sometimes conscious'
Alex Zanardi is "only sometimes conscious" as he recovers from his serious head and facial injuries following a full month in hospital. Read more.

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Sebastian Vettel pictured on March 12, 2020
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