First Half of the 2020 F1 Season Under Threat of Cancellation Due to Coronavirus
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The F1 2020 season isn’t even underway, but nearly half the calendar is under threat. With the Coronavirus spreading across Asia and Europe at an alarming rate, F1 management will need to manage the situation a lot more closely. Races in Melbourne, Sakhir and Hanoi may not go as planned due to the deadly epidemic.
Coronavirus still a threat to F1
So far, Australia has confirmed 22 cases of the virus with no casualties. This definitely won’t set off alarm bells, but F1 will be forced to monitor the situation down under. The race in Melbourne is scheduled to take place in 3 weeks’ time on March 15. Additionally, with the race occurring soon, the event may still happen.
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“It’s much broader than a question for us and F1,”
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“We take guidance from the chief medical officers in Australia and ultimately from the government. Government and health officers will look at things medically and economically and assess risk.” said Andrew Westacott, Chief Executive of the Australian GP corp.
Round 2 of the F1 calendar will take place in Bahrain. The country has confirmed 33 cases so far, with no casualties. However, being a transit point in the Arab world, this could indirectly affect the race in Abu Dhabi. It may seem far-fetched at this point in time but could become a possibility if the situation worsens.
Vietnam, which will host its inaugural F1 race in April, is under the greatest risk. Hanoi lies close to China – where the virus originated.
However, track authorities have refuted claims of a possible cancellation.
The CEO of the Vietnam GP, Le Ngoc Chi, said:
“The F1 race in Hanoi in 2020 will take place as planned,”
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“We are of course monitoring the situation closely, and will notify customers and media should there be any changes.”
F1 earlier announced the postponement of the Chinese Grand Prix. Formula One hasn’t announced a replacement date for the event yet.
Italian GP under threat
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The race that is facing the greatest threat is the Italian Grand Prix. With a big jump in cases, F1 may be forced to call off the race in Monza if the situation fails to improve. Furthermore, this has a knock-on effect and puts the EU leg of the calendar in jeopardy.
In a never-ending winter break, cancelled races would be the last thing fans want.
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