The 2023 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai has been cancelled due to China’s continuation of their ultra-strict Covid-19 policies – marking the fourth consecutive year a grand prix has not been held in the country.
The 2023 Chinese Grand Prix had been scheduled to be held on April 16, 2023.
China has instituted and maintained a zero-tolerance Covid-19 policy which Formula One has determined would hinder the execution of the grand prix as China would not allow F1 staff to be given exemptions from quarantine requirements in the event of suffering a Covid-19 infection, meaning staff could potentially be detained for days in the country. China’s newest updated rules demand that anyone found with Covid-19 must spend five days at an isolation center plus three additional days in isolation at home.
With the cancellation, it will now be 23 in ’23 – F1 has 23 races currently scheduled for the 2023 season – still an all-time record for races in a single season.
China’s cancellation also means there will now be a four-week gap in the 2023 schedule between the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne [April 2] and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku on April 30. If the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is not moved up to the April 23 date, then it is expected that the gap in the schedule will be left unfilled.