Formula One announced that they would cancel the upcoming Bahrain and Vietnam Grands Prix due to the current coronavirus pandemic, and begin the season in late May, most likely with the Monaco Grand Prix.
The season-opening Australian Grand Prix had previously been scheduled to be held tomorrow but was ultimately cancelled this week. The Bahrain race was due to be held without fans in attendance next week but, it too, was cancelled, along with the Vietnam Grand Prix on April 5, 2020.
The Chinese Grand Prix had already been postponed while the Dutch Grand Prix – scheduled for May 3, 2020 – was cancelled.
If the coronavirus wanes in the coming months, Formula One will look at the “viability of potential alternative dates” for races later this year.
The Vietnam Grand Prix was the most recent of the slew of cancellations – after the Australian Grand Prix – when the Vietnamese government banned travel into the country for anyone who has been in Italy – among other locations – in the previous 14 days.