The sport now faces a four-week gap in the 2023 schedule due to the elimination of the China event, which was scheduled between the races in Melbourne on April 2 and Azerbaijan on April 30.
The Chinese Grand Prix has been canceled for the fourth consecutive year as the country takes stringent precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Due to persistent challenges posed by the COVID-19 scenario, Formula 1 has announced that the 16 April 2023 race in Shanghai will not take place.
The sport is now faced with a four-week gap in the schedule, since the canceled China race is sandwiched between the races in Melbourne on April 2 and Azerbaijan on April 30.
However, it is believed that F1 officials are in discussions with several prospective locations to ensure that a record 24 races will still take place.
Formula One issued the following statement: “Formula One can announce, following discussions with the promoter and relevant authorities, that the 2023 Chinese Grand Prix will not be held due to the persistent challenges caused by the COVID-19 scenario.
“Formula 1 is evaluating alternative options to fill the 2023 calendar space and will provide an update in due course.”
Even though F1 extended its deal with the Chinese Grand Prix through 2025 just last year, the event in China has been canceled for the fourth consecutive season.
The last time the event was held was in 2019 when Sir Lewis Hamilton won en route to his sixth world championship.
F1 and local organizers attempted to find a way to allow the 2023 race to take place, but with ten teams and a huge number of spectators scheduled to fly in, the impediments were too great.
Guanyu Zhou, China’s first and only F1 driver, who debuted for Alfa Romeo this season and has yet to experience a home race, would be disappointed by the cancellation.
Numerous possibilities have been suggested by the media, including the Portimao circuit in Portugal, which will serve as a replacement for races canceled due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
The 2023 season will begin in Bahrain on March 5 and end in Abu Dhabi on November 26.
Recent protests in China have been sparked by its zero-COVID regulations.
As the ruling Communist Party maintained lockdowns and quarantine laws, rare instances of open descent were observed in cities around the nation, including Shanghai.
Nonetheless, several localities have recently begun to relax regulations.
Less than twenty-four hours after violent demonstrations in Guangzhou, officials in at least seven districts of the expansive port metropolis north of Hong Kong lifted lockdowns.
The softening of stance follows earlier this year’s quarantine rules, which saw entire villages quarantined for weeks after a single positive case was identified.
China will respond to “urgent concerns” presented by the public, and COVID laws should be enforced more flexibly based on the severity of outbreaks in each location, according to statements made by national health officials earlier in the week.
