F1 has confirmed that Azerbaijan GP has been postponed after the decision taken by their promoters due to COVID-19 pandemic.
After F1 announced postponement/cancellation of races from March to May, the 2020 F1 season was expected to start with the Azerbaijan GP on June 5-7. However, it started to look otherwise in recent days as COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread.
The decision on the Azerbaijan GP became apparent and has been now confirmed that it has been officially postponed by the promoters of the grand prx. This – for now – puts the Canadian GP as the first race, which is to take place on June 12-14 weekend.
But it remains to be seen if it happens. F1 has taken measures by closing down the factories in March/April period instead of the August break and is to extend the season into December if and when it can kick-off.
Here’s the statement from Azerbaijan GP organisers:
“The postponement was agreed upon after extensive discussions with Formula 1 as well as the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the Government of the Azerbaijan Republic. This comes as a direct result of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and has been based entirely on the expert guidance provided to us by the relevant authorities.
“In coming to this conclusion, BCC’s primary concern throughout has been the health and well-being of the Azerbaijani people as well as all visiting F1 fans, staff and championship participants. BCC shares its fans disappointment at not being able to experience the pinnacle of motorsport race through the streets of Baku this June.
“To that end, we will continue to work closely with Formula 1, the FIA and the Government of the Azerbaijan Republic to monitor the situation with a view to announcing a new race date later in the 2020 season. All tickets for the FORMULA 1 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2020 will continue to be valid, without any additional formality.
“As soon as the new date of the Grand Prix is confirmed, all spectators will be informed accordingly about the available options, both for those who have purchased their tickets through the Baku City Circuit’s website (www.bakucitycircuit.com) and through other channels. The thoughts of everyone at Baku City Circuit during this challenging and unprecedented situation go out to all those directly and indirectly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We wish to thank all our supporters, customers and partners for your understanding and look forward to welcoming you back to Baku later in the year for more unpredictable, thrilling racing action at the Home of the Street Fighters. In the meantime, we ask you to stay safe and stay at home if you can.”
UPDATE: In addition to the F1 race, F2 also confirmed the cancellation of the Monaco round along with the postponement of the Baku race. The short statement from the championship stated:
“The fifth round of the FIA Formula 2 season, which was scheduled to take place June 5-7 in Baku, Azerbaijan, has been postponed due to the continued outbreak of the coronavirus. This confirmation follows the announcement made by the Baku City Circuit this morning. Baku’s postponement follows that of Sakhir, Zandvoort and Barcelona, whilst Monaco has been cancelled.”
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