The financial impact of races being cancelled due to the Coronavirus would be higher for some Formula 1 teams than others.
The Chinese Grand Prix, which was due to take place on April 19th, has already been postponed due to the virus. The race has not been rescheduled, though Formula 1 is trying to find ways to fit it into the final weeks of this year’s championship.The sport is also pressing ahead with plans to hold its season-opening race at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia next week. The race is due to be followed one week later by the Bahrain Grand Prix and Vietnam’s first world championship event two weeks after that.
But many other motor sport championships have already postponed or cancelled races due to the spread of the Coronavirus, and other sports have been affected as well.
Formula 1 Management pays teams a share of the revenues from races, which would fall if one or more races cannot go ahead. But Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams pointed out teams will also make some savings if races are cancelled.
“It depends how many races it affects,” she said in response to a question from RaceFans. “Obviously at the moment it’s affecting China and really for the income that would bring in, it’s manageable. It’s not negligible, but it’s manageable.
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“Also there’s a counter to that in that there’s potentially less opportunity for race attrition [car damage]. So if you add potential race attrition, the cost of that and manufacturing, it could potentially balance it out. And travel as well, we haven’t booked a lot of hotels, flights, et cetera.
The importance of FOM payments to team’s budgets varies up and down the grid. RaceFans’ most recent analysis of teams’ budgets indicated almost half of Williams’ income came from FOM.
Asked by RaceFans whether she thought Williams would be one of the worst-hit teams if FOM incomes fell due to Coronavirus, she said: “I’m sure we would be.”
Australia today introduced “enhanced health screening measures” for visitors arriving from Italy, which has seen the highest number of Coronavirus infections in Europe. However it has not imposed a ban on travel from the country, which is home to Ferrari, AlphaTauri and others intending to travel to Melbourne.
Formula 1 motorsport director Ross Brawn said earlier this week F1 will not hold championship rounds if some teams are unable to attend races due to the Coronavirus.
The Automobile Club de L’Ouest, organisers of the Le Mans 24 Hours, said today they are “confident” that race will go ahead as planned on June 13th-14th. “However, should it be necessary to do so, we will reschedule events later in the year,” they added.
Major races postponed or cancelled due to Coronavirus
| Dates | Series | Event | Location | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 6 – March 8 | Moto GP | Qatar Grand Prix | Losail International Circuit | Qatar |
| March 13 – March 15 | World Superbikes | Qatar | Losail International Circuit | Qatar |
| March 21 – March 21 | Formula E | Sanya EPrix | Sanya | China |
| March 20 – March 22 | Moto GP | Thailand Grand Prix | Buriram International Circuit | Thailand |
| March 21 – March 22 | Super Taikyu | Round one | Suzuka | Japan |
| April 4 – April 5 | Super Formula | Round one | Suzuka | Japan |
| April 17 – April 19 | Formula 1 | Chinese Grand Prix | Shanghai International Circuit | China |
| April 17 – April 19 | Porsche Carrera Cup Asia | Shanghai round | Shanghai International Circuit | China |
| April 17 – April 19 | Chinese Formula Four | Shanghai round | Shanghai International Circuit | China |
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2020 F1 season
- Pictures: Wrecked chassis from Grosjean’s Bahrain fireball crash to go on display
- Bottas vs Rosberg: Hamilton’s Mercedes team mates compared after 78 races each
- F1 revenues fell by $877 million in Covid-struck 2020 season
- Hamilton and Mercedes finally announce new deal for 2021 season
- F1 audience figures “strong” in 2020 despite dip in television viewers
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
5th March 2020, 14:11
Ferrari are in a world of pain now. Italy is under quarantine, FIA did a blunder with their deal and the car is slow.
Best wishes for them.
Chaitanya
5th March 2020, 14:17
Actually its a good thing for Ferrari and Toro Rosso they can work on 2021 cars now that they have free time on hand with quarantines.
jamt
5th March 2020, 14:48
I find quite fun that in the end F1 will race in cities by far more risky than Shanghai at this moment. Never mind on april.
anon
5th March 2020, 15:03
That’s if you believe Shanghai has had less infections than Milan which is ridiculous.
jamt
5th March 2020, 17:22
Well, from official Chinese news, in Shanghai are actually 39 people infected from a cumulative total of 339 since the coronavirus spread. I do not know if that is true or not anyway.
JohnH (@johnrkh)
5th March 2020, 20:39
China has a history of fiddling the figures to protect their reputation or cover up poor economic results. Also there is a growing suspicion that China has put considerable pressure on the WHO (China is a member) not to declare a pandemic.
Thecollaroyboys (@thecollaroyboys)
7th March 2020, 1:55
@johnrkh Déclaration of a “pandemic” by the WHO brings forward a raft of issues and measures that go well beyond where we are at right now. That China has unduly pressured the WHO and that they have bent over to be nice to the dictatorship is without doubt and is disgraceful. But declaration of a pandemic is serious sh&t. Have a look at the WHO website for details of pandemic response.
JohnH (@johnrkh)
7th March 2020, 3:12
@thecollaroyboys
I didn’t say bent over I said placed considerable pressure. Just like they have put pressure and paid bribes for pacific Island nations to change their diplomatic stance by deserting Taiwan and switching their allegiance to the PRC. Or the fact that put pressure on the EU and anyone else who mentions Tibet or the situation with the Uyghurs.
I think that goes back to why China would not want a pandemic declared.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
5th March 2020, 22:17
Anon, they’re not racing in Milan, and they’re not racing anywhere near Milan until September (by which time things will be considerably more settled, one way or another). I’m not sure any city F1 plans to race at is riskier at the point expected than Shanghai, because that would require a crystal ball. In any case, large gatherings are banned in China at the moment, so even if there was no coronavirus, F1 still couldn’t race there unless that was reversed.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
6th March 2020, 7:44
Currently Italy has more infections per head of population than China does. Italy has around 63.7 infections per million people vs China’s 56.1 infections per million population.
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
5th March 2020, 16:11
One would hope that the “Road” pit crews and ancillary staff will have been quarantined properly (or indeed moved to a safe zone) when all of this started breaking – and one would also hope that once on the road they don’t need to return to an infected area that may cause them to go into quarantine again.
Tough on folks with families of course . . . but it would be the sensible thing to do.
Also I expect as things move along there may be interesting flight itinerary diversions as places introduce their own regulations on travellers that have been out of country.
I pity the people who have to deal with this.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
6th March 2020, 0:19
No, I want my super formula!!!
Thecollaroyboys (@thecollaroyboys)
7th March 2020, 1:57
@peartree
Superformula? Is that a vaccine?
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
7th March 2020, 7:55
@thecollaroyboys it is a vaccine for a lack of decent racingaitis. It cures ailing for true racing. Side effects, insomnia due to time zone.