Why curtailed Eifel GP won't level F1, but will harm perfection quest

The sun actually shone at the Nurburgring on Friday. It was a glorious golden glow, lighting up a near cloudless blue sky. The trouble was, this picturesque scene emerged nearly three hours after FP2 had been called off, curtailing the inaugural Eifel Grand Prix and meaning no Formula 1 track action took place today.

Alex Kalinauckas Oct 9, 2020, 6:44 PM

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All told, it was a frustrating day – particularly for the fans allowed into the venue, only the third time that has been permitted in 2020.

The reason why this depressing non-spectacle took place was sound. The FIA's International Sporting Code requires the medical helicopter at every circuit F1 visits to be able to reach its designated receiving hospital within 20 minutes of departing the track in the event of casualty transfer. If circumstances mean this has to be done by an ambulance on the road, the 20-minute limit still remains.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.