"Formula 1 needs fifteen races to keep its head above water''

The new Formula 1

''Finally," says Günther Steiner when the NOS asks him about the start of the season. ''It's as if we haven't run a Grand Prix for years. It's been an eternity, but we now see light at the end of the tunnel. I was worried if we would still be racing at all. Thank God we did. Unfortunately without an audience, but everyone understands that.''

Without fans, large distances between the teams and 24/7 your mouthpiece on. It will take some getting used to for the teams, but they will be happy to do so. Without the races a lot of teams would go bankrupt. Without races there is no income, where the teams have hundreds of people on their payroll.

Fifteen races

"It's a compromise without fans, but it saves a lot of money. Formula 1 needs at least fifteen races to keep its head above water and hopefully after the summer we will be able to admit fans to the circuit again'', says the team boss of Haas who already thinks it's clever that there is a calendar of eight races now.

''That's an achievement in itself. It is very difficult at the moment to get governments to allow you to go there with Formula 1. Nobody wants to take a risk or make a mistake. Doing nothing is a safer choice in that respect," concludes Steiner, who hasn't tested with his team since the break.