Welcome to The Grid, R&T’s quick roundup of the auto industry and motorsports news you should know this morning.
Tesla Roadster Delayed
The car we’re most excited to see from Tesla is the second-generation Roadster, which promises a barely believable 0-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds and a top speed beyond 250 mph. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a little longer for it. Originally promised to hit production this year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on the Joe Rogan podcast that’s likely no longer the case. “Roadster is kind of like dessert,” Musk said, “[w]e gotta get the meat and potatoes and greens and stuff.” The CEO added that it was more important to get the Cybertruck pickup in production first, which makes sense, given the volumes of the two models.
Formula 1 Could Add New Circuits to the 2020 Calendar
The coronavirus crisis has added all sorts of complication to the 2020 Formula 1 season. The series is aiming to get back on track on July 5th at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, and it’s doing its damndest to hold 15 to 18 races before the year ends. That could entail heading to circuits that weren’t on the original 2020 calendar, Racer reports. “We are in discussions with all our promoters as well some tracks that are not currently on our 2020 calendar to ensure that we explore all options,” Chase Carey, F1 CEO, said on a conference call. There was no German Grand Prix scheduled for this year, but perhaps F1 could return to Hockenheim or the Nürburgring in 2020. We’d also like to see F1 run at Estoril or Jerez. In fact, there are a lot of neat tracks the series could make a return to.
2020 IndyCar Season Will Officially Start in Texas Next Month
Just a few weeks after NASCAR resumes racing, IndyCar will belatedly kick off its 2020 season with a June 6th race at the Texas Motor Speedway. The series will run a condensed schedule, with practice, qualifying and the race all set to be held on one day, and the race itself shortened to 200 laps from 248. The race will also run behind closed doors, with extra safety precautions taken to ensure the safety of the personnel at the track. IndyCar says the remainder of its 2020 season should be able to go forward as planned.
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