Formula 1’s 2020 season was delayed massively by the outbreak of the Covid-19 Panedmic but it has since been kicked into life with the first 8 races announced, and the series is set to begin on the 5th of July at the Austrian Grand Prix. There will be two races at Austria, back to back, to start the season in earnest. The full calendar is expected to be confirmed ahead of the first Austrian race. And in preparation of the start, Ferrari has been hard at work testing on the Mugello circuit. Let's check out these new developments in F1 and for the Ferrari team.

A Shake-Up Of The Calendar

One of the bonuses of the season being so different from what was planned last year, is the possibility of new tracks being added that weren’t on the original calendar. And one of those tracks is the Ferrari owned Mugello circuit in Florence.

The track has regularly hosted rounds of the MotoGP world championship but has not yet hosted a Formula 1 race. Currently, the first eight races of the year will conclude on September 6th at Monza. Mugello is thus being lined up to follow one week later, creating an Italian double-header and allowing Ferrari to celebrate it’s 1,000th Grand Prix on home territory. There is also the possibility limited fan attendance could be added to the race, meaning the Tifosi could be present for this landmark occasion.

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Testing Advantage

via Scuderia Ferrari

One advantage of owning a track means you can test at that location. And Ferrari has been gearing up for the return of the season by testing at the Italian circuit. Not only will this allow the team to test new procedures for racing amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, but it allows drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc to get up so speed again, having not driven a car in anger since pre-season testing in February.

Another advantage is that Ferrari will have some current data on what their car will be like around the track, should the race happen. Admittedly, they are using a two-year-old SF71H from 2018, as the rules don’t allow private testing of current cars except for filming days. Even then, filming days are limited to 100km, and only two of these days are permitted.

via Scuderia Ferrari

Both Vettel, who is leaving the team after 2020, and Leclerc have been driving the car. Rumors indicate that a race at Mugello is all but confirmed, and there is the possibility that races in Germany, Portugal and San Marino may materialize too to bolster the calendar.

Sources: Twitter, Scuderia Ferrari

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