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F1 Midweek Report – Azerbaijan GP joins postponement list due to coronavirus outbreak

 

The Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2020 has become the latest race to hit the postponement list due to CONVID-19.

 

Officials from Baku City Circuit stated:

 

Baku City Circuit (BCC) has today taken the decision to postpone the FORMULA 1 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2020 due to take place on June 5th – 7th.

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. Credit to Baku City Circuit for the statement. https://www.bakucitycircuit.com/press-release/F1-Azerbaijan-grand-prix-2020-postponed

 

Azerbaijan becomes the eighth Grand Prix to be either postponed or cancelled – after the season-opening Australian, Bahrain, Vietnam, Chinese, Dutch, Spanish and Monaco events – as the world continues to react to the coronavirus outbreak.

 

After the first seven Grands Prix were called off or put on hold, there were hopes that the new season-opener would take place in Azerbaijan from June 5-7 on the streets of Baku, but race organisers confirmed it would not go ahead as planned.

 

Ticketing for the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2020 will still be valid, without any added formality.

 

As soon as the new date for the Grand Prix is confirmed, all spectators would be notified about the available options, both for those who purchased through BakuCityCircuit.com or through other ticketing channels.

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Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey provides update on 2020 campaign

 

 

Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey provided the latest on the situation with the 2020 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season in light of COVID-19.

 

Over the past week, Formula 1, the ten F1 teams and the FIA have come together and taken rapid, decisive action as part of our initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

While at present no-one can be certain of exactly when the situation will improve, it will improve and when it does, we will be ready to go racing again. We are all committed to bringing our fans a 2020 Championship Season.

 

We recognise there is significant potential for additional postponements in currently scheduled events, nonetheless we and our partners fully expect the season to start at some point this summer, with a revised calendar of between 15-18 races.

As previously announced we will utilise the summer break being brought forward to March/April to race during the normal summer break period, and anticipate the season end date will extend beyond our original end date of 27-29th November, with the actual sequence and schedule dates for races differing significantly from our original 2020 calendar.

 

It is not possible to provide a more specific calendar now due to the fluidity of the current situation but we expect to gain clearer insights to the situation in each of our host countries, as well as the issues related to travel to these countries, in the coming month.

 

With the benefit of the FIA’s announcement and agreement in principle to freeze technical regulations throughout 2021, no summer break and factory shut downs being moved forward to March / April the sport now intends to race through the period normally set aside for the summer break and fulfil lost events from the first part of this year.

 

This flexibility offers an opportunity to evolve the sport, experiment and try new things. That may include initiatives such as expanding our esports platform, developing more innovative content like Netflix’s Drive to Survive, and other creative ways to drive ongoing value for the sport’s sponsor partners, broadcast partners, race promoters, teams and fans – the ecosystem of our fantastic sport.

 

Between Formula 1, the teams and the FIA, working with our key stakeholders, we are planning and fully committed to returning to the track at the earliest opportunity to commence the 2020 season. We will continue to take advice from health officials and experts, as our first priority continues to be the safety and health of our fans, the communities we visit and those within the Formula 1 family.

 

We’re confident we’ll all get through this and see better days, ahead, and, when we do, we will ensure that everyone invested in this sport at every level feels rewarded.

 

Best wishes,

Chase

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McLaren switch to Mercedes power in 2021 to go ahead as planned

 

 

Next year will see two iconic manufacturers reunite a relationship that brought them some success in the past as McLaren return to Mercedes power in 2021. However, the coronavirus outbreak has caused a headache for the Woking-based outfit.

 

Last week Formula 1, the sport’s governing body, the FIA and the teams confirmed the delay of the new rules and regulations for 2021 by a year with the 2020 chassis being continued on next year to save costs during these financially challenging times.

 

McLaren, who currently use Renault power-trains, had been planning their 2021 with the Mercedes power-units in mind, will now have to spend resources accommodating it to their MCL35 racers.

 

Despite the challenge it imposes, the Woking squad are pushing on with the change.

 

“We support the postponement and have played an active part in the conversation around doing so,” McLaren Team Principal Andeas Seidl said. “We recognise that it is crucial to protect the financial health of all the teams while ensuring a level playing field when we do go racing.”

“Furthermore, this decision does not impact our change to Mercedes power units in 2021, and we will be allowed to make the necessary changes to our car to accommodate this.” Seidl concluded. Credit to McLaren for the quote. https://www.mclaren.com/racing/team/unprecedented-times/

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Quarantined McLaren team members return home to UK

 

 

McLaren welcomed back it’s 16 team members who spent two weeks in quarantine in Melbourne after one of it’s personnel tested positive for COVID-19 during the season-opening Australian Grand Prix weekend.

 

McLaren Racing Team Principal Andreas Seidl stayed with them for an extra couple of days and some of their senior members were still at the Pan Pacific with them. All team members who were tested as a precaution came back negative.

 

The team member that tested positive had since recovered from the coronavirus and Seidl said “we look forward to welcoming everyone back to the UK this week.”

 

With airlines significantly reducing their flying schedules and countries enforcing landing restrictions, arranging flights to return to the United Kingdom had been complicated.

 

However, as of yesterday morning, the first few team members landed on home soil with the rest safely returning today.

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Zhou wins virtual Bahrain Grand Prix

 

 

With no real Formula 1 action for the time being due to the coronavirus outbreak, attention turned to the brand new series of Virtual Grand Prix, created to give fans some e-sports racing.

 

The likes of former drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Johnny Herbert, some famous names along with McLaren driver Lando Norris lined up on Sunday night in an entertaining 14 lap Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix that was won by Formula 2 driver Guanyu Zhou from third place on the grid on a rendered version of the Bahrain International Circuit on the Codemasters F1 2019 game.

 

On pole position was sports car driver Philipp Eng (driving the Red Bull) with Mercedes reserve Esteban Gutierrez alongside him on the front row whilst Renault’s Zhou and Williams driver Nicolas Latifi were on the second row.

 

McLaren’s Norris started last after a technical issue forced the Briton out of qualifying and part of the race where he was replaced by his AI version dubbed “LandoBot”. His race preparations included hilarious phone calls to Team Boss Zak Brown, Team-mate Carlos Sainz, Williams’ George Russell and Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen among the names.

 

The Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix kicked off in chaotic fashion when Hulkenberg spun off from fifth place in his Racing Point RP19, and Herbert driving an Alfa Romeo dramatically jumped from a low 16th on the grid to the lead – although the Briton got pinged with a drive-through penalty for corner cutting turn one.

 

Eng bumped Herbert on the opening lap to reclaim the lead and Zhou followed as three-time Grand Prix winner Herbert lead a train of cars including E-Sports racer Paul “Redeye” Chaloner for Haas, Norris’s AI and Mercedes Formula E driver Stoffel Vandoorne in a fight for third place.

 

Zhou was the first to pit and came out in the lead to win comfortably by 11.392 seconds over Vandoorne, who blew past pole-sitter Eng on the final lap.

 

YouTube sensation Jimmy Broadbent, who started 16th for Racing Point, was a real threat as he set a series of fastest laps and climbed up to fifth at the mid-way point of the Grand Prix. But he was joined by Norris, who replaced his AI and was now fighting for fourth place. The final lap between the duo ended when Broadbent spun Norris off into the wall at the last corner, giving Broadbent fourth over the McLaren driver.

 

Latifi finished sixth ahead of motorcycle racer Luca Salvadori driving the (AlphaTauri) who finished seventh with “Redeye” leading a train of cars to eighth.

 

Hulkenberg’s early spin did not put him off, as the German battled with Latifi and Ferrari Driver Academy junior Dino Beganovic in a thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle halfway through the race, with Gutierrez also coming into play.

 

It was Beganovic coming out on top, taking ninth while Hulkenberg completed the top ten and Gutierrez crossing the line 11th.

 

E-sports racer Sadokist took 12th ahead of 13th-placed Herbert while Lewis Hamilton’s brother Nicolas, ended the Virtual Grand Prix 14th driving the McLaren.

 

Professional golfer Ian Poulter outpaced Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy to claim 15th with One Direction’s Liam Payne 17th.

 

Alfa Romeo’s E-Sports racer “Cyanide” fell out due to technical issues while Formula 2 and Ferrari Academy driver Robert Shwartzman retired in his Ferrari late on.

 

The series of Virtual Grands Prix will continue in place of every postponed or cancelled race, with the events run until the end of May, though it could be extended if the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc and cause more Grands Prix to be postponed or cancelled.

 

The next Virtual Grand Prix will be on April 5 when the drivers take to the Albert Park Circuit for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. You can tune in via F1.com, Facebook or YouTube or live driver streams on Twitch.

 

You can watch the highlights of the inaugural Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix highlights at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwcRDOjgfkE

 

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#F1 2020 News Round Up – Latest from the week. @F1

Morning chaos as #F1 @ROLEX @ausgrandprix 2020 called off. #AusGP