UPDATE, 19/03/2020:
Sad news, Formula 1 fans, if an entirely predictable announcement: the F1 postponement is being extended. Just announced by the organising authorities, the scheduled dates for the Spanish, Dutch and Monaco Grand Prix have been cancelled.
The statement is as follows: "Due to the ongoing and fluid nature of the COVID-19 situation globally, Formula 1, the FIA and the three promoters [of the Grand Prix] have taken these decisions in order to ensure the health and safety of the travelling staff, championship participants and fans, which remains our primary concern."
While nobody can guarantee when the season might be up and running again, F1's aim is to have the championship functioning "as soon as it's safe to do so after May." And for Formula 1 fans missing the action, it might be worth watching classic highlights on YouTube for a little while longer.
ORIGINAL STORY, 12/03/2020:
The 2020 season was supposed to see F1's calendar jam packed with a record-breaking 22 races, but things aren't exactly going to plan.
Hardly any sporting event has been left unscathed as governments and organisations alike scramble to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Not only have short term measures, such as the postponement of the NBA in the US and the disruption of multiple football leagues been deemed necessary, but even events as distant as the Tokyo Olympics and Euro 2020 tournament have found themselves potentially in the firing line.
At a time when industries are halting production and individuals are self-quarantining to impede the coronavirus's spread, a handful of racing teams spending millions of pounds to jet from country to country, drawing enormous crowds wherever they go, does seem a little tone deaf. Small wonder, then, that six-time champ Lewis Hamilton voiced his displeasure at the plan to continue with the race as recently as this morning.
He told reporters in Melbourne that he was "very, very surprised" to be there, responding that "cash is king" when asked why he thought the race hadn't yet been called off. But now it will be. Following McLaren's withdrawal earlier today, after one of its team members tested positive, a majority vote of the teams involved has forced the FIA's hand.
The decision also leaves upcoming races in Bahrain and Vietnam in doubt, while the Chinese GP - scheduled for the weekend of April 17-19th - has already been postponed with no obvious date on which it could be held instead. That leaves a four-week gap in the middle of the season, which could grow larger still should other races fall victim to the virus's spread.
As for what will happen next, no one knows, but F1 is at least in the advantageous position of only just starting its season. While other sports find themselves on the finishing straight, with title run-ins and trophies to be decided by the summer, F1's pan-seasonal schedule means there should still be plenty of time to enjoy a decent number of events once the virus starts to slow down in the spring. Besides, a May curtain raiser at the newly-refurbished Zandvoort hardly sounds like the worst outcome in the world, does it?
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