Formula 1 set to call off Chinese Grand Prix

The Chinese Grand Prix scheduled for April 19 will likely be called off due to the coronavirus threat, with an announcement by F1 expected to be imminent.

The uncertainty surrounding the scale of the outbreak of the deadly virus in China and its control have led the country's officials to cancel public and sporting events, including an upcoming round in Sanya of the FIA Formula E Championship.

Last week, with the health emergency in China persisting, Formula 1 managing director Ross Brawn alluded to contingency plans for the race in Shanghai, suggesting a postponement rather than an outright cancellation of the event could be organized.

• Mercedes still moving forward with China GP preparations

However, finding a slot for the race on the sport's 22-race calendar won't be easy.

One option reportedly under discussion is to allocate an end-of-November date to Shanghai, but that move can only be achieved by pushing back F1's season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Scrapping the Chinese Grand Prix will mean a four-week break between the Vietnam Grand Prix scheduled on April 5 and the Dutch Grand Prix set to take place on May 3.

Given the congestion of the current calendar, not to mention the health concerns linked to China, it's unlikely the teams will complain about not visiting Shanghai in April.

So far, China has communicated more than 42,200 cases of coronavirus across the country while the death toll has passed 1,000, with more than three-quarters of the deaths occurring in Hubei's provincial capital, Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak which has been in lockdown for weeks.

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