China 2020

Author
Discussion

JontyR

Original Poster:

1,915 posts

167 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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Just thinking ahead...it is only 10 weeks away do we think the Coronavirus will be contained by then? Obviously this is going to not fit in with the travel ban to China at the moment. It is roughly 900km away, but even so that is close by China terms

andburg

7,285 posts

169 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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no they should make the call now and cancel it

DanielSan

18,786 posts

167 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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Formula E are supposed to be going there next month and cancelled it over the weekend. This now is where we see Liberty in their true colours, they want every penny they can get so won't be cancelling any races until the last possible moment just in case they can go there.

TheDeuce

21,533 posts

66 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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The official advice around the world is to avoid close contact if infection is suspected. It seems highly likely that infection is possible in the area by then, and shoving thousands of people together in the stands isn't exactly following the advice. It's sad on several levels, but it's hard to see it going ahead. Not least now FE have cancelled.

FE are looking to reschedule if the situation improves, so cancellation doesn't necessarily mean we lose a race this season. No doubt the circuit will eventually want both races to go ahead as they need the ticket money - more than ever given that they will already have started spending to prepare the circuit for both events..

Exige77

6,518 posts

191 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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TheDeuce said:
The official advice around the world is to avoid close contact if infection is suspected. It seems highly likely that infection is possible in the area by then, and shoving thousands of people together in the stands isn't exactly following the advice. It's sad on several levels, but it's hard to see it going ahead. Not least now FE have cancelled.

FE are looking to reschedule if the situation improves, so cancellation doesn't necessarily mean we lose a race this season. No doubt the circuit will eventually want both races to go ahead as they need the ticket money - more than ever given that they will already have started spending to prepare the circuit for both events..

The circuit is state owned.

It’s there only to promote China.

If there is a health risk, no one will go anyway.

When the track was built, it had a capacity of 230,000. They rarely get over 30,000 even with free tickets. Most of the stands knocked down now so you don’t see empty stands on TV.

Some Moto GP races only got 10,000 spectators.

Better cancel it now and the bad publicity will be lost in all the other bad publicity. If they cancel it later, it might be more obvious bad publicity.

It’s a cheap and easy GP to attend so I will miss it.


TwentyFive

336 posts

66 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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If Formula E is FIA sanctioned and has been cancelled then I would imagine its a matter of time until the FIA do the same with the F1 race.

TheDeuce

21,533 posts

66 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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Exige77 said:

The circuit is state owned.

It’s there only to promote China.

If there is a health risk, no one will go anyway.

When the track was built, it had a capacity of 230,000. They rarely get over 30,000 even with free tickets. Most of the stands knocked down now so you don’t see empty stands on TV.

Some Moto GP races only got 10,000 spectators.

Better cancel it now and the bad publicity will be lost in all the other bad publicity. If they cancel it later, it might be more obvious bad publicity.

It’s a cheap and easy GP to attend so I will miss it.
Interesting point you make about attendance - and I knew it wasn't a sell out but didn't realise how low the numbers are.. Jeez.

Given what you have said, it almost sounds like they may as well run the race as planned and simply not allow people to attend. Would be a bit weird granted, but given that it's all about image and TV rights... Would it matter? wink

Weirder things have happened..

Deesee

8,419 posts

83 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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Theres talk, it may be switched with Sochi.

DHL will have there work cut out..

JontyR

Original Poster:

1,915 posts

167 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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Deesee said:
Theres talk, it may be switched with Sochi.

DHL will have there work cut out..
Thank god it isnt MyHermes otherwise someone in Sochi would end up with a lot of F1 parts behind their garden fence!

Deesee

8,419 posts

83 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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JontyR said:
Deesee said:
Theres talk, it may be switched with Sochi.

DHL will have there work cut out..
Thank god it isnt MyHermes otherwise someone in Sochi would end up with a lot of F1 parts behind their garden fence!
hehe


TheDeuce

21,533 posts

66 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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Deesee said:
Theres talk, it may be switched with Sochi.

DHL will have there work cut out..
That could be interesting. Sotchi would be 10c cooler than usual, China 10c hotter. That's a good few years of data and experience out the window.

Obviously the situation in China is far more serious than F1 strategy or logistical concerns.. Nonetheless, swapping races around would be a big headache but would surely be preferable to dropping a race entirely.

Deesee

8,419 posts

83 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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TheDeuce said:
Deesee said:
Theres talk, it may be switched with Sochi.

DHL will have there work cut out..
That could be interesting. Sotchi would be 10c cooler than usual, China 10c hotter. That's a good few years of data and experience out the window.

Obviously the situation in China is far more serious than F1 strategy or logistical concerns.. Nonetheless, swapping races around would be a big headache but would surely be preferable to dropping a race entirely.
Correct and the tyres would have been ordered this week for China.

Sochi is a fly away, I'm unsure of where the Sochi kit would have been forwarded too US/Mexico? I'm sure the China kit would have gone on to Azerbaijan?

Ill find last yrs tyre data.

EDIT

C2/3/4 for both races..


Edited by Deesee on Monday 3rd February 15:54

sgtBerbatov

2,597 posts

81 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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If it's canceled then Natalie Pinkham will be glad that she's able to keep hold of her knickers.

I'm not being rude, check out her podcast with Lee McKenzie. Eye opening.

TheDeuce

21,533 posts

66 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
quotequote all
sgtBerbatov said:
If it's canceled then Natalie Pinkham will be glad that she's able to keep hold of her knickers.

I'm not being rude, check out her podcast with Lee McKenzie. Eye opening.
I listened to that one biggrin

Odd country!

thegreenhell

15,320 posts

219 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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TheDeuce said:
Interesting point you make about attendance - and I knew it wasn't a sell out but didn't realise how low the numbers are.. Jeez.

Given what you have said, it almost sounds like they may as well run the race as planned and simply not allow people to attend. Would be a bit weird granted, but given that it's all about image and TV rights... Would it matter? wink

Weirder things have happened..
Would we even notice the difference?

In reality it will come down to governmental advice as to whether it is safe to travel or not. At the moment, both the FCO and WHO are advising against all but essential travel to the entire country of China, not just the Wuhan province. If that situation continues then nobody will realistically be able to go there to put on a mere motor race, as that is clearly not an essential situation. Even just simple things like getting travel insurance and finding a hotel that is open and accepting international travellers will be impossible for the teams, media and officials.

StevieBee

12,876 posts

255 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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Deesee said:
Correct and the tyres would have been ordered this week for China.

Sochi is a fly away, I'm unsure of where the Sochi kit would have been forwarded too US/Mexico? I'm sure the China kit would have gone on to Azerbaijan?
I can't recall if I read about or watched something about the logistics involved in F1. What I do recall is that it's hugely complex and surprising that a great deal goes by sea. So you have these oddities whereby a lot of the infrastructure for Singapore and Japan is already en-route and what's needed for Australia and most likely China is already there. Either way, binning China will cause a bit of a headache.....which I guess is better than a dose of the old Coronas.

sparta6

3,694 posts

100 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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Should be cancelled, better to be safe than sorry.

Lewis suffered some man flu in Germany, he sure won't fancy the Chinese version

thegreenhell

15,320 posts

219 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
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StevieBee said:
I can't recall if I read about or watched something about the logistics involved in F1. What I do recall is that it's hugely complex and surprising that a great deal goes by sea. So you have these oddities whereby a lot of the infrastructure for Singapore and Japan is already en-route and what's needed for Australia and most likely China is already there. Either way, binning China will cause a bit of a headache.....which I guess is better than a dose of the old Coronas.
It would be great if the Netflix series devoted one of their episodes to this, but it probably wouldn't show F1 in a very good light.

TheDeuce

21,533 posts

66 months

Monday 3rd February 2020
quotequote all
thegreenhell said:
Would we even notice the difference?

In reality it will come down to governmental advice as to whether it is safe to travel or not. At the moment, both the FCO and WHO are advising against all but essential travel to the entire country of China, not just the Wuhan province. If that situation continues then nobody will realistically be able to go there to put on a mere motor race, as that is clearly not an essential situation. Even just simple things like getting travel insurance and finding a hotel that is open and accepting international travellers will be impossible for the teams, media and officials.
It's OK, I was only being tongue in cheek wink

Yup, can't see any practical option but to cancel it, or as is apparently under discussion switch it with Sotchi and fingers crossed 6 months later the situation in China will be much improved.

Teddy Lop

8,294 posts

67 months

Tuesday 4th February 2020
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sparta6 said:
Should be cancelled, better to be safe than sorry.

Lewis suffered some man flu in Germany, he sure won't fancy the Chinese version
as someone highlighted to me the other night, it isn't just the risk to the competitors and their entourage - (although that's pretty damn important to them). Its that after a formula 1 event people will literally depart to all corners of the globe - you couldn't ask for a better virus spread model.