2020 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix Postponed Amid Concern Over Coronavirus

The 2020 Chinese Grand Prix, which was scheduled for April 17 to 19, has been postponed because of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Chinese Grand Prix promoter, Juss Sports Group, officially requested a postponement after ongoing discussions with the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of the People’s Republic of China, as well as the Shanghai Administration of Sports.

Amid the health issues and the statements of the World Health Organization concerning the coronavirus as a global health emergency, Formula 1 and the FIA made a joint decision to accept the request to postpone the event to ensure the health and safety of staff traveling at the time.

Considering the scale of the epidemic in China with more than 42,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and over 1000 deaths, it is almost impossible to see the manner the nation can host a global sports event within nine weeks.

For one, British Airways have canceled all the flights to the city until April 1 at the earliest. Other airlines have similarly given travel bans to China as well.

Formula E was one of the first motorsports platforms to act as they postponed the next month’s race in Sanya, while the World Indoor Athletics’ Championship taking place in Nanjing has also been rescheduled to occur next year.

The delay that was on the past of Formula 1 is mainly for financial reasons, considering the Chinese race is one of the most reliable earners, so the removal of the April slot was a hard decision.

The ones staging September’s Russian Grand Prix are rejecting the idea of swapping with China, and teams have deemed the idea of putting the Shanghai race between the Brazil and Abu Dhabi races, a nonstarter. These typically take place at the end of the season.

Formula 1 and the FIA are going to continue working closely with the race promoter of the teams CAMF and the local authorities to monitor the progression of the situation as it develops. All parties are looking at the viability of the potential alternative dates for the Grand Prix later during the year should conditions improve.

Formula 1 declared in a statement that the Chinese Grand Prix has always been an important part of the F1 calendar, and the fans are always amazing.

The third race, which is the first-ever in Vietnam at a purpose-built street circuit in the capital, Hanoi, also seems to be vulnerable. The officials in the city have claimed they are monitoring the situation as the coronavirus spreads through southeast Asia.