Skip advert
Advertisement

Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix postponed amid coronavirus outbreak

Formula 1’s Chinese round has been postponed from its planned April 19 date due to the coronavirus

FIA officials and the Formula 1 governing body have agreed with Chinese F1 event promoters to postpone the Chinese round of the 2020 F1 season indefinitely amid growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

Officials, both within the Chinese stakeholder organisations and the FIA, plan on monitoring the situation to inform a possible rescheduling later in 2020, should the situation improve. 

Advertisement - Article continues below

The Chinese GP was initially scheduled for an April 19 race date but the spread of the virus within China has caused the government to limit inter-city travel and impose curfews on both residents and businesses, measures that would dramatically affect the huge logistical effort of staging a Formula 1 round.  

No further rounds have officially been affected by the virus, but there are new question marks over other Asian rounds that are geographically close to China’s mainland, including the inaugural Vietnamese F1 event to be held in Hanoi two weeks before the Shanghai round.

This is not the first FIA sporting event to have fallen foul of circumstances outside of its control in the recent past either, with the Australian WRC round last September being cancelled due to the Australian bushfire crisis that was ongoing at the time in Western Australia. It remains to be seen if any more F1 rounds in 2020 will be affected by the outbreak. 

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Why the 1980s were both motorsport's peak and its breaking point
1980s motorsport
Features

Why the 1980s were both motorsport's peak and its breaking point

If road cars were great in the ’80s, the motorsport was simply spectacular, from Group B rally monsters via Group C endurance legends to turbocharged …
4 Jul 2025
How NASCAR is dull, confusing and utterly captivating all at once
NASCAR to Le Mans – rear
Opinion

How NASCAR is dull, confusing and utterly captivating all at once

Is NASCAR just a mind-numbing procession to non-American eyes? Jethro finds out
7 Mar 2025
'Does it matter if the Aston Martin Valkyrie can’t win Le Mans? Not one bit'
Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH
Opinion

'Does it matter if the Aston Martin Valkyrie can’t win Le Mans? Not one bit'

The Aston Martin Valkyrie isn’t that competitive yet. And precisely no one outside of Aston is bothered, as long as we get to hear it try…
5 Mar 2025
Exploring Toyota's greatest motorsport icons, from WRC to Formula 1
Toyota motorsport museum
Features

Exploring Toyota's greatest motorsport icons, from WRC to Formula 1

Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HQ, of course…
26 Dec 2024
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Mini JCW 2025 review – too feisty for its own good
Mini JCW – front
Reviews

Mini JCW 2025 review – too feisty for its own good

The petrol-powered JCW lives on – for now. But in its latest incarnation, has this supermini survivor become too hardcore?
6 Jul 2025
New Alpine A290 Rallye is an electric car we actually want, but there's a catch
Alpine A290 Rallye
News

New Alpine A290 Rallye is an electric car we actually want, but there's a catch

The A290 has proven to be one of the best performance EVs yet, and now Alpine's taking it one step further with a rally variant
3 Jul 2025
VW Golf GTI Clubsport for £6k off – Akrapovic exhaust effectively thrown in free
Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport deal
News

VW Golf GTI Clubsport for £6k off – Akrapovic exhaust effectively thrown in free

The Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport in Mk8.5 guise makes for a tempting prospect at the right price
3 Jul 2025