The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will no longer take place on its planned date of June 7, it has been announced, becoming the latest event to fall to the coronavirus.
Formula 1 had already postponed five of its intended opening seven rounds due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the others – Australia and Monaco – cancelled entirely.
It had been hoped that the season could get underway with the event around the streets of Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, on June 7.
But on Monday event organisers announced that it will not go ahead on its scheduled date.
“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,” read a statement issued by Baku City Circuit.
“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.”
Baku joined the Formula 1 calendar in 2016 and for 2018 switched to an April date, before returning to its desired June slot for 2020, running as the first of a double-header with Canada.
It means that, tentatively, Canada’s round – scheduled for June 14 – will open the 2020 campaign but given the worsening nature of the pandemic it is deemed improbable that the event will take place.
Championship officials have already moved the August break forward, extending it by seven days to three weeks, in order to free up the month for rescheduled races, should the coronavirus situation improve.
Most Formula 1 teams are currently serving the three-week shutdown, which must be taken between now and the end of April.
Formula 1 has already responded to the coronavirus pandemic by delaying the new regulations by 12 months until the start of the 2022 season.
The current chassis, which have so far only appeared on track during pre-season testing in Spain, will be retained for 2021 as part of cost-saving measures.
The budget cap, set at $175m for the 2021 campaign, is still going ahead as initially planned.
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