June’s French Grand Prix is set to be the 10th Formula 1 race called off this year due to the coronavirus.
Currently, France has seen over 136,000 cases of COVID-19 and almost 15,000 deaths reported, putting it fourth in the global list.
Regardless, the event at Circuit Paul Ricard is still scheduled to start the 2020 season on June 28 and managing director Eric Boullier has been keen to push ahead as planned.
Also, the French GP was considered more feasible than most because the track is one of the more isolated on the calendar in Le Castellet and so, if enough measures could have put into place, perhaps a closed-door race could have been held.
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But speaking in a televised address on Monday, President Emmanuel Macron said a limit on public gatherings would continue until mid-July, with a full lockdown also in effect until May 11.
As a result, it seems the government has taken the decision out of the organisers’ hands and an announcement is now expected to confirm the postponement this week.
When that happens, the Austrian GP at the Red Bull Ring will become the defacto season opener on July 5.
In recent days, motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has been confident that race can go ahead as planned and it would also coincide with F1 motorsport boss Ross Brawn’s plan of up six races in seven weeks beginning from July.
But with the British GP looking more unlikely to go ahead two weeks later, even if Austria can get the 2020 season started, there’s no guarantee F1 will be back to normal afterwards.