F1 announces the postponement of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The start of the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship will be further delayed after the sport has announced the postponement of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

After the first seven rounds of the season have been postponed following the rapidly spreading coronavirus, the sport has confirmed that the season will hit a further delay. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix that was scheduled to be staged on June 7 has been postponed, meaning that the earliest the season can start is the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.

With the current situation showing no improvements, the organizers of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix decided to take the decision to call off the event, albeit they expressed their hopes that they can find a later spot in the calendar.

The statement of the organizers of the race at Baku reads: “This comes as a direct result of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and has been based entirely on the expert guidance provided to us by the relevant authorities.”

The decision could see Montreal host the opening event of the season, although the situation in Canada has changed for the worse over the last days with 1469 cases having been registered so far which cast doubs over the fate of this year's Canadian Grand Prix.

Baku City Circuit (BCC) has today taken the decision to postpone the FORMULA 1 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2020 due to take place on June 5th – 7th.

The postponement was agreed upon after extensive discussions with Formula 1 as well as the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the Government of the Azerbaijan Republic. This comes as a direct result of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and has been based entirely on the expert guidance provided to us by the relevant authorities.

In coming to this conclusion, BCC’s primary concern throughout has been the health and well-being of the Azerbaijani people as well as all visiting F1 fans, staff and championship participants.

BCC shares its fans disappointment at not being able to experience the pinnacle of motorsport race through the streets of Baku this June. To that end, we will continue to work closely with Formula 1, the FIA and the Government of the Azerbaijan Republic to monitor the situation with a view to announcing a new race date later in the 2020 season.