Coronavirus (COVID-19) Lockdown: Impact on International Motorsport

The coronavirus outbreak is affecting people all around the world. It is a human tragedy that brought all things to a standstill. The governments of several nations have declared lockdown in the countries to control the spread of the virus because social distancing is the only way to tackle the things right now. Talking particularly about the automobile industry, it has been affected to a large extent. All the major auto shows and launch events are either canceled or postponed. The international motorsports arena is not even saved from the aftermath of the pandemic disease. Here’s a look at the current status of motorsports events of the world.

Formula One

The FIA Formula One World Championship is a motor racing championship event for Formula One cars. It is the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The 71st season of the event was scheduled to start in March, but now it has been postponed until June due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was due to be contested among 22 Grand Prix but now the number is uncertain.

Initially, the Chinese Grand Prix was rescheduled due to the obvious reason. And then Australian Grand Prix being canceled after a McLaren team member tested positive for the COVID-19. Later on, Bahrain, Dutch, Spanish and Azerbaijan Grand Prix were also delayed. 

As per the joint statement of FIA,  Formula 1, race organizers and the involved governments, the decision of postponement of the event has been taken in order to ensure the safety and health of the championship participants, traveling staff, and spectators.

MotoGP

The COVID-19 outbreak also affected the premier two-wheeler motorsports i.e. MotoGP. It started in Qatar with a weird opening and called-off later on. Due to the deferrals of the USA, Thailand and Argentine Grand Prix, the dates have been changed multiple times. A few days back, it was announced that Spain will host the opening round of the championship on May 3

But today, the IRTA, FIM and Dorna Sports have confirmed that the 2020 season will not begin with the Spanish GP as it has been postponed due to the disease impact in the nation.

Formula-E

The 2019-20 Formula-E Championship has already completed the five races, but due to the coronavirus, it comes to a halt. The Chinese E-Prix was rescheduled first and then followed by Rome and Jakarta. Later on, the organizers announced the two-month suspension. Now it is set to begin on June 21 in Berlin and will be followed by the New York round. The double-header season finale will take place in London.

World Endurance Championship

The 2019-20 World Endurance motorsport was started and has already finished off four races, like the Formula E event. The season came to a pause when the 12hrs of Sebring was rolled back because the US banned the traveling from Europe for 30 days. Just after this, the penultimate round scheduled to begin at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium was deferred. And finally, the finale of the season 24hrs of LeMans was also postponed. The new dates of the event are not yet announced.

World Rally Championship

The 2020 season of the World Rally Championship was also started on the scheduled dates and completed two rallies without any problem. While the third rally of the off-roading motorsport, Rally Guanajuato Mexico has been reduced and finished at the Rock & Rally León stage. Apart from this, Speedagro Rally which was scheduled to take place between April 23-26 is also deferred now. The new dates of the championship are yet to be announced.

Isle Of Man TT

One of the most dangerous racing events, Isle Of Man TT, was also been canceled due to the COVID-19 situation. It was scheduled to happen between May 30 -June 13.

Merzouga Rally

Merzouga Rally is the event that provides racers a chance to get qualify for the Dakar Rally. The 2020 season of this rally has also been canceled. 

So, now you can get the idea of the coronavirus worldwide impact on the motorsports. In light of the current situation, we can expect that the 2020 season of these events will be happening in the second half of the year. For now, just follow the social distancing, stay home and keep following Zigwheels Malaysia for all the latest updates.

Also read: Impact of Coronavirus on the global auto industry