Azerbaijan GP off; no F1 race until mid-June at the earliest
First 8 races postponed or canceled because of virus
LONDON, March 24, (AP): The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was postponed Monday because of the coronavirus outbreak, delaying the start of the Formula One season until the middle of June at the earliest.
The first eight races of the 2020 season have now been either postponed or canceled because of the virus.
The race at the Baku City Circuit was scheduled for June 7 but has been called off after discussions between governing body FIA and the local government. “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,” organizers said in a statement.
They said a new race date would be announced for later in the season.
F1 races have been staged in Azerbaijan since 2017.
The season-opening Australian GP in Melbourne was called off only hours before racing was to start on
March 13. The Bahrain GP, scheduled to start the following week without fans, and the inaugural Vietnam GP on April 5 were then quickly called off. The Chinese GP in Shanghai on April 19 had been postponed in February.
Last week, the iconic Monaco GP was among three races called off. While races in the Netherlands and
Spain were postponed, the event in Monaco was scrapped for 2020.
The next race scheduled after Azerbaijan is in Canada on June 14.
Also, F1’s mid-season break has been moved from August to March and April, and extended from 14 to 21 consecutive days, to help with scheduling.
The season is scheduled to end with the Abu Dhabi GP on Nov 29, but could be extended to fit some postponed races in.
A total of eight races with 12 cars must be completed for the championship to be validated, FIA has said.
Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton says he has been self-isolating for more than a week after meeting people who later tested positive for the new coronavirus.
Hamilton was at a charity event in
MOTOR RACING
London on March 4 also attended by actor Idris Elba and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the wife of the Canadian prime minister. Both were later found to have the virus.
In a message on social media, Hamilton says he’s shown “zero symptoms” but has been isolating himself from other people ever since March 13, when the Australian Grand Prix was called off.
Hamilton said that “I did speak to my doctor and double checked if I needed to take a test but, the truth is there is a limited amount of tests available and there are people who need it more than I do.”