Chinese GP CANCELLED again for fourth straight year as F1 confirm race called off due to ‘Covid difficulties’

FORMULA ONE have cancelled the Chinese Grand Prix for the fourth year in a row due to “Covid difficulties”.

The circuit was set to return to Shanghai for the fourth race of the 2023 season on April 16.

But with coronavirus still an ongoing issue in the Asian country and restrictions remaining in place, F1 confirmed the Grand Prix will not go ahead as planned.

China’s covid policies mean that all F1 staff and drivers would be required to quarantine.

There is the added risk that if team members tested positive for Covid they would be detained while they recover.

A short statement from F1 said: “Formula One can confirm, following dialogue with the promoter and relevant authorities, that the 2023 Chinese Grand Prix will not take place due to the ongoing difficulties presented by the Covid-19 situation.

“Formula One is assessing alternative options to replace the slot on the 2023 calendar and will provide an update on this in due course.”

The Chinese GP was axed when the pandemic broke out in early 2020.

The 2021 and 2022 races were also wiped off the F1 calendar as the problems continued.

Lewis Hamilton won the last edition of the Chinese GP in 2019.

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That was the Brit’s sixth victory at the Shanghai circuit in his illustrious career, claiming his first chequered flag in 2008.

One possible solution is a return to Portimao, which would make up a record 24-race calendar.

The cancelled race will otherwise mean there will be a four-week gap between the Australian GP and the Azerbaijan GP which run at the start and the end of April respectively.

Another option would see the Azerbaijan GP move forward to close up the gap, meaning the total GPs is reduced to 23.

Max Verstappen will begin his campaign for a hat-trick of drivers’ world championships in Bahrain on March 5 – after pre-season testing at the same venue.

F1 had pieced together the whopping 24-race season for 2023, with a new Las Vegas Grand Prix on the penultimate weekend.

As usual, the season will come to an end at Abu Dhabi on the last weekend of November.

But a handful of drivers could be at risk of facing bans next year if they hit the 12-point penalty limit threshold on their licences within a rolling 12 months.

Pierre Gasly (ten), Lance Stroll (eight), Verstappen and Alex Albon (both seven) are closest to triggering an automatic one-race ban.

Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk