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After Australia Snub, F1 Postpones Both Bahrain and Vietnamese Grand Prix

Published 03/13/2020, 9:08 AM EDT

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The Bahrain and Vietnam Grands Prix which were scheduled to take place in the coming weeks have been postponed indefinitely. Today, F1 released an official statement regarding the cancellation. More importantly, the season will now officially begin in May (if things don’t worsen).

F1 Bahrain and Vietnam races postponed

After the fiasco that transpired at the Australian Grand Prix, F1 has decided not to take any chances in future races. Furthermore, Fans slammed the governing body for its delayed response and lack of direction in handling the issue. F1 CEO Chase Carey initially asserted that the situation was “fluid” regarding the upcoming rounds of the calendar.

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“In view of the continued global spread of COVID-19 and after ongoing discussions with the FIA, the Bahrain International Circuit, the Bahrain Motor Federation and the Hanoi People’s Committee, the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Automobile Association of Vietnam and the promoter, Vietnam Grand Prix Corporation a decision has been taken by all parties to postpone both races due to take place on the 20th – 22nd March and April 3rd – 5th April respectively”. reads the official statement by F1 on its website.

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As upsetting as the move may seem, it was necessary. F1 underestimated the severity of the epidemic in Australia and paid the price. However, to prevent the chaos that occurred today – the governing body is finally stepping up.

Formula 1 and the FIA continue to work closely with the race promoters in Bahrain and Vietnam and the local health authorities to monitor the situation and take the appropriate amount of time to study the viability of potential alternative dates for each Grand Prix later in the year should the situation improve. As a result, Formula 1 and the FIA expect to begin the Championship in Europe at the end of May but given the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Europe in recent days, this will be regularly reviewed.” reads another statement.

Season to begin in May

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The Dutch Grand Prix will kick off the European leg of the F1 calendar. The Zandvoort race was planned for May 3. However, that seems unlikely given the statement released by F1. Tentative start date is now the end of May.

With 4 races eliminated, the F1 calendar now has 18 races to contend with. As of now, Fans can only hope the season begins sometime in 2020.

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Written by:

Abhishek Bharadwaj

720Articles

One take at a time

Abhishek Bharadwaj is an F1 author and content strategist at EssentiallySports. Having joined ES in January 2020, he has over 700 articles to his name. While he was first introduced to the world of F1 in 2006, he started religiously following the sport in 2012 and has had an undying passion for it ever since.
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