The Chinese Grand Prix will be cancelled for the fourth consecutive year due to the pandemic, according to reports.
The BBC reported that the Shanghai race, which has taken position since the outbreak of the pandemic, will be cancelled due to China’s zero covid policy in a resolution that has yet to be announced.
Although sports teams are exempt from quarantine upon arrival in the country in favor of a strict closed bubble system, they would still be subject to mandatory isolation and quarantine for 8 days if they tested positive in the country.
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The 2023 Chinese Grand Prix was scheduled with a transparent weekend in all respects to take into account potential logistical issues, but Formula 1 reportedly made the decision that the race was not worth holding in the face of the threat of staff being detained in the country for more than a year. . the week.
China will be the fourth event of the season, following the Australian Grand Prix on April 2 and ahead of the street race in Azerbaijan on April 30.
The race will be postponed given that the calendar is already very busy, with 10 races scheduled over just 14 weekends after the mid-season break, most of which take place in America and the Middle East.
That would delay a possible return to the Chinese Grand Prix until 2024. He recently extended his contract until 2025.
Canceling the race would leave the game with a three-weekend gap between events. Formula 1 is not believed to plan to update the race for next year, which would move the calendar from 24 races to a record 23 events.
Instead, the BBC reported that F1 is looking to convince Azerbaijani organisers to bring its race forward by a week, leaving only two raceless weekends after Australia, one of which would be Easter.
Baku, however, is pulling back on demand, allegedly in part because the weather warms up in April, meaning a date even a week earlier can mean a much cooler race, which is potentially problematic given that F1 has made the decision to keep qualifying much further. due in the afternoon in recent years.
The city has a contract to host the race until the end of 2024 and is in negotiations for a long-term extension. It is said to be one of the most lucrative races in the sport.
Advancing at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix would also save Formula 1 from one of two grueling long-distance dual circuits. change.
Later this year, flying directly from Las Vegas to Abu Dhabi, an adventure of more than 13,000 kilometers and a 12-hour time zone change, the Las Vegas race will take position after the night.
Formula 1 will soon have to make any possible adjustments to the calendar, and shipment shipments for the first air races will begin regularly in early January.
The logistics of organizing outdoor races in Europe are delicate and demanding, especially since the outbreak of war in Ukraine and the resulting sanctions against Russia, which have drastically reduced global air shipping capacity.
Shipping also rolls out months before overseas races. Teams have duplicates of non-essential or non-interchangeable parts, such as garage signs, hospitality furniture and work appliances, which spend the entire season travelling across the oceans for races outside Europe at no. -Stop the scheduled routes once the calendar is published.
The season also starts earlier than usual, with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5, groups will be on site about two weeks in advance for pre-season testing, which runs from February 23-25.
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While the calendar would possibly feature 23 reduced races, it will also come with six expanded board races.
Autosport said Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, the United States and Brazil are the favourites to host Saturday’s 100-kilometre races.
Austria hosted a race this year, as did Brazil, which hosted one of the first Saturday races last season.
Race promoters pay more to run races because of its popularity among fans, especially those who attend races. F1 says it has selected locations that balance financial considerations with the likelihood of overtaking, according to Autosport.
However, the BBC reported that Qatar could be replaced by Saudi Arabia if Jeddah organisers were willing to shell out more money for the sprint.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as Azerbaijan, are said to be the highest-paid races, with contracts worth up to $80 million a year, according to RacingNews365.