Formula 1 teams are set to discuss the situation surrounding the Chinese Grand Prix at a meeting of the Strategy Group on Wednesday, as speculation mounts that the event will have to be postponed or called off.
The outbreak of the coronavirus in China, which has been classified as a world health emergency by the World Health Organisation, has already prompted a number of sporting events in the country to be cancelled. The FIA Formula E race scheduled in Sanya for March 21 has officially been postponed.
Although F1 chiefs and the FIA are currently monitoring the situation, the escalating problems in China suggests that there will be no swift end to the outbreak – which has cast doubt on the viability of the Shanghai round on April 19, which is now under 60 days away.
As the epidemic’s death toll rises to 425 and the number of cases to above 20,000, Russia has played down the possibility of swapping places with China: “The date for the grand prix was approved by the FIA last October and remains unchanged,” Sochi race promoter Alexey Titov told Tass news agency.
The Chinese GP is not the only problem. Vietnam is also set to host its first grand prix in April.
“We understand the concerns but we have not heard anything officially,” the Hanoi race’s CEO Le Ngoc Chi said. “We are ready with our race date.”
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