Start your engines: Formula 1 sets out EIGHT-RACE calendar with 'incredibly complex operation' to bring back racing from July 5

With Formula 1 set to roar back into action on July 5, the sport's chief technical officer has revealed the huge series of measures that will be used to bring the sport back to our screens in Austria later this month.

Formula 1 has confirmed an initial eight-race calendar for the 2020 season, starting with a double-header in Austria on July 5 and 12.

The F1 circus then heads to Hungary on July 19 before arriving at Silverstone for two races in Great Britain on August 2 and 9. The season then heads to Spain, Belgium and Italy on August 16, 30 and September 6 respectively.

Ahead of the season's return, F1’s chief technical officer Pat Symonds has said that, while the sport can't realistically follow the same social distancing rules as day-to-day people, the sport has gone to painstaking lengths to ensure maximum safety ahead of the season's return in early-July.

Speaking exclusively to Engage, a skills platform for UK engineers, Symonds explained the difficulties surrounding social distancing in the high-octane world of F1.

"There are aspects of operating at a Grand Prix that really preclude social distancing," he explained.

"Our fans need to understand that everyone won’t be two metres apart, you can’t envisage a pitstop where that happens, so we have to take even more precautions."

Those precautions include testing all members of staff on all teams every two days while on site, a bespoke tracking app to monitor contacts between personnel and team staff limited to 100 members.

Hotels will be procured for the exclusive use of F1 personnel during each race week, with separate floors allocated for team use, while race weekends will see reduced media capacity and no spectators in the stands.

"It’s an incredibly complex operation that’s changing day by day as regulations and our understanding changes – but we want to ensure safety above everything – that is our critical remit," Symonds explained.

"There are bubbles within bubbles – we are trying to keep that level of isolation without the social distancing that we all know is so effective."

Despite the organizational challenges, Symonds said he was confident the product on the track will be as competitive and exciting as ever.

"The minute the guys get strapped in the cars, the minute the visors come down, there’s only one thing that matters – and that’s winning the race," he said.

"In Austria everyone is going to feel different, the old habits will have to change.

"It’s going to be as exciting as ever – maybe even more exciting than ever – there’s time compression involved now – you just have to be at it all the time and I think that’s going to make for a really great season."