London, Apr 9 (IANS): Formula One motorsport managing director Ross Brawn has said that in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 season could potentially be held behind closed doors.

So far, nine races have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak, with the March 15 season-opening Australian Grand Prix cancelled along with May's showcase Monaco Grand Prix.

"Travel for the teams and travel for everyone involved is going to be one of the big issues. You could argue once we get there, we could become fairly self-contained. Our view is probably a European start will be favourable and that could even be a closed event," Brawn told Sky Sports.

"We have a race with no spectators. That's not great, but it's better than no racing at all," he added.

Although the French GP is currently scheduled for June 28, Brawn explained a July start now looks more likely.

"If we were to start at the beginning of July, we could do a 19-race season," he said. "It's tough, three races on, weekend off, three races on, weekend off - but we've looked at all the logistics."

F1 are already working with promoters on a revised 2020 calendar with the actual sequence and schedule dates for races likely to differ significantly from the original calendar amid the COVID-19 pandemic which has claimed thousands of lives across the world.