Chinese Grand Prix coronavirus: F1 desperate to find new date if postponed
F1 News
The coronavirus continues to get worse. The death toll rises significantly daily. In order to protect as many people as possible, authorities have cancelled most sporting events. Formula 1 is yet to confirm whether the race on April 19 will run, but it's looking more and more unlikely.
And if the Chinese Grand Prix does drop off the schedule, Formula 1 are desperate to squeeze it back into the schedule inside the 2020 F1 season. Rumours of a switch between Russia and China were ended when the organisers for the race in Sochi said they'd never change dates.
Ross Brawn and Formula 1 are looking for a solution.
"We will probably not change with another Grand Prix. We just have to find a hole later in the season where the GP can take place," Brawn told Motorsport.com. However, with the schedule being expanded to 22 races for the first time ever, finding the time for the race will be tricky. So much so, we could end up with a quadruple-header in the final stint.
However, the local organization must give a definite answer about whether or not the Chinese Grand Prix will take place in April. "It looks very difficult. All public events have now been cancelled in March, but we have to wait for April. I expect clarity in the coming two weeks."
Logistically
This clarity is also necessary for Formula 1 because, for a race outside of Europe, teams have to plan a lot. "There are two logistic deadlines that we must take into account. Firstly, the sea freight that is shipped this week. Things like fuel then have to get off the boat, but that's not a disaster. The second deadline is if we want to send people to the circuit to build everything up. That is within two to three weeks and that situation is critical."
It was announced yesterday that the public events were cancelled until further notice. The virus must first be brought under control before public activities can take place again. It may all be ready in April, but the question is whether the circuit and the teams have had sufficient time to get the logistics operation in order.