Formula 1 has discussed the po🐭ssibility of getting the delayed 2020 season underway with the Austrian Grand Prix in July followed by a double-header event at Silverstone.

F1 officials and t🔥eams came together in a virtual meeting on Thursday to thrash out the latest plans to ๊get the season started after the opening nine races were all postponed or cancelled as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

According to﷽ a , F1’s latest solution is to take advantage of the recent easing of lockdown restrictions in Austria by staging the July 5 race as planned but as a closed-door event without spectators.

After starting the se🍸ason in Austria, F1 could then head to the UK for a run of at least two races at Silverstone, which is due to hold the Briti🌟sh Grand Prix on July 19.

Race org꧑anisers have set an end-of-April deadline to make a final decision over the fate of this year’s British Grand Prix, however circuit bosses say they are willing to be flexible in terms of a date and over how many races it could host.

On Thursday, the UK government announced a three-week extension to its social distancing and lockdown measures, while Austria has become꧙ oneও of the first European countries to lift some of its restrictions. 

The French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard - scheduled for June 28 - is increasingly likely to become the 10th race to be affected by the global COVID-19 crisis aft🍌er France extended its lockdown and banned mass gatherings until mid-July. 

That has shifted F1’s focus onto Austria becoming the potential season-opener at the Red Bull-owned Spielberg ꧟track.

Earlier this week, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner confirmed to Sky Sports that the notion was bei♎ng discussed and personally backed the idea.

"The Red ꦑBull Ring is a ready-made facility๊, it can be ready in a very short period of time to fit the FIA's criteria," Horner said.

"The prospect ꦡof being able to run a race behind closed doors is absolutely feasib🃏le.

"It's something that Austria [p𒁃romoters] and Red Bull are looking at but of course they've got to work with൩ the local authorities and governments. And so at the moment it's just under discussion.”

Proposals to reduce F1’s budget cap to €130 (£104.6m) by 2022 were also discussed 𒁏in the meeting on Thursday as the sport continues to assess ways to lower costs.

While there was no firm agreement on the budget cap, it is under෴stood that discussion💎s were viewed as constructive by all involved.

An aerodynamic handicapping system that would allow teams who finished at the bottom of the championship the most aerodynamic research for the following year and the team who finished first doing the least was also considered 🅠by the teams.

McLaren boss Andreas Seidl warned t🎃he ongoin♔g coronavirus crisis is the “final wake-up call” for F1 to act and trigger chan♈ges to make the 💖sport more sustainable and allow teams to survive.

Action has already been taking in a bid to ease the financial strain placed on teams during the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, with the introduction of major tec💜hniꦜcal rules being pushed back by a year until 2022 and teams agreeing to race with the same cars in 2021.

All 10 F1 teams ꦛare also currently observing an extended mandatory shutdown period having agreed to bring forward the summer break from its traditional August s🦩lot to the spring amid the current hiatus.