F1 aim to rev up virus-hit season in May

LONDON: Formula One plans to start its coronavirus-ravaged season in May after cancelling this weekend’s opener in Australia and postponing the next three races in Bahrain, Vietnam and China.

Formula One and the governing FIA said on Friday they expected to begin the championship in Europe at the end of May, subject to regular review.

“The global situation regarding Covid-19 is fluid and very difficult to predict and its right we take time to assess the situation and make the right decisions,” Formula One chairman Chase Carey said.

An end of May date would rule out the Dutch and Spanish races currently scheduled for May 3 and 10 in Zandvoort and Barcelona.

Monaco, a glamorous highlight of the motor racing calendar, is round seven on May 24.

The Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne was cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak only hours before the first practice session was scheduled to get underway at Albert Park on Friday.

That was followed by the postponement of Bahrain’s March 22 race, already scheduled to be run without spectators under floodlights at the Sakhir circuit, and the debut of Vietnam in Hanoi on April 5.

McLaren announced on Thursday they would not be racing in Australia after an employee tested positive for the virus and champions Mercedes then called for a cancellation.

That in turn made Bahrain’s postponement inevitable, with some team members in quarantine.

The prospect of an extended break was mooted by Formula One even before the latest announcements.

“Maybe we take a hiatus, we take a pause,” Formula One motorsport managing director Ross Brawn told Sky

Sports television in Melbourne.