Formula One postpones the Chinese Grand Prix
The Formula One Management and the FIA announced today that the 2020 Formula One Chinese Grand Prix has been postponed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
The Chinese Grand Prix Promoter, Juss Sports Group, officially requested the postponement of the event after the development of the situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak in China. The sport’s governing body, the FIA and the Commercial Rights’ Holder, the Formula One Management jointly decided to accept the request of postponement of the race which had been originally scheduled for April 17-19.
"The Chinese Grand Prix has always been a very important part of the F1 calendar and the fans are always incredible," Formula 1 said in a statement. "We all look forward to racing in China as soon as possible and wish everyone in the country the best during this difficult time."
FOM and the FIA will closely monitor the situation in the following weeks. Should the situation improve, the two parties will search for an alternative date for Chinese Grand Prix. It is supposed that the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix could be potentially placed back to free up a slot for the race at Shanghai.
The decision has been partly motivated by the the World Health Organisation that announced the coronavirus to be a global health emergency two weeks ago, with the Sanya E-Prix of the Formula E championship in March and all other sporting events having been canceled as well in the foreseeable future.
The postponement also means that there will be a one-month break between the inaugural Vietnamese Grand Prix and the returning Dutch Grand Prix that will kick off the European leg of the championship.
