The Azerbaijan Grand Prix, due to take place on 7 June, has been postponed as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The Canadian Grand Prix, on 14 June, is the first race on the schedule that has not been postponed. Seven Grands Prix – Australia, Bahrain, Vietnam, China, the Netherlands, Spain and Azerbaijan – have been postponed, while Monaco has been cancelled altogether. However, some races are more likely to appear on a revamped schedule than others, and the events in Spain, Australia and Brazil are among those most likely to be missed off any new calendar.

The statement in full

In view of the continued global spread of COVID-19 and after ongoing discussions with the FIA, the Bahrain International Circuit, the Bahrain Motor Federarion and the Hanoi People’s Committee, the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Automobile Association of Vietnam and the promoter, Vietnam Grand Prix Corporation a decision has been taken by all parties to postpone both races due to take place on the 20th – 22nd March and April 3rd – 5th April respectively.

Following the announcement of the Australian Grand Prix’s cancellation this week and the ongoing and fluid nature of the COVID-19 situation globally, Formula 1, the FIA and the promoters have taken these decisions in order to ensure the health and safety of the travelling staff, championship participants and fans, which remains our primary concern.

Formula 1 and the FIA continue to work closely with the race promoters in Bahrain and Vietnam and the local health authorities to monitor the situation and take the appropriate amount of time to study the viability of potential alternative dates for each Grand Prix later in the year should the situation improve. As a result, Formula 1 and the FIA expect to begin the Championship in Europe at the end of May but given the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Europe in recent days, this will be regularly reviewed.

Formula 1 Chairman and CEO, Chase Carey, said: “The global situation regarding COVID-19 is fluid and very difficult to predict and its right we take time to assess the situation and make the right decisions. We are taking this decision with the FIA and our promoters to ensure the safety of everyone involved in Formula 1 and our fans. The Bahrain Grand Prix is an exciting race in our schedule, and we look forward to being back there as soon as we can. We are also looking forward to Vietnam’s inaugural race and bringing the spectacle of F1 to one of the most exciting cities in the world.”

FIA President, Jean Todt, said: “Protecting people first. Together with Formula 1, the Bahrain Motor Federation, the Vietnamese Motorsports Association, and the local promoters, postponing both the Bahrain and Vietnam Grands Prix, as with the Australian Grand Prix, was the only possible decision given all of the information currently available to us. We continue to rely on the input and advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and governments and will work with them throughout this unpredictable period to safeguard the fans, competitors and all of the motor sport community.”

Motorsport is one of man’s great gifts to the world. One of the most wonderful sporting products on the planet. Its danger, its technology and its money, is astonishing. It is one of the most frequently occurring global sports with a myriad of fans; from a casual viewer on a Sunday afternoon to a fanatical armchair engineer who takes great pleasure in chastising the fine detail of a new piece of front wing aero. I put myself somewhere in the middle when it comes to consuming races, however, I’m an avid follower of the business of motorsport and the commercial activity within it. I’m also increasingly fascinated by the trends towards everything digital and why motorsport needs to keep pace.

I’ve had the pleasure of working in Formula One, and many other forms of motor racing since 2005, almost exclusively on the commercial side. I’ve activated sponsorships including ING Bank’s mega-deal with the Renault F1 Team under the impressive leadership of Isabelle Conner, I’ve worked at Yas Marina Circuit under the watchful eye of former CEO Richard Cregan. I’ve managed the commercial activities of racing drivers from Formula One down and had the opportunity to work across sporting, sponsorship, PR, funding, logistics and digital. It is the latter that has captivated me of late.

As a keen attendee at various motorsport conferences, it is digital, or the lack of it, that often crops up as an interesting discussion area. Why doesn’t F1 engage its fans enough digitally and how can it do better? Who should be doing it? Sponsors? Rights holders? Drivers? Circuits? Promoters? In order to reach the start line with today’s hyper engaged (young & old) fans, all of us in the industry need to up our game. It’s not just F1, many forms of racing do not take advantage of the modern world and the technology available. We’ve got 3D Mapping, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, Virtual Reality and Social Media. There are new platforms being created every day and as a founder of a start-up, I speak to many creative young companies who are crying out for content to share with their communities. So why isn’t it happening?

We’ve got 400 million unique viewers, give or take, watching Formula One….that’s awful lot of people putting their feet up on a Sunday and watching on their televisions, the interest is huge, but there are people out there that want to have a deeper relationship with sport outside of the rigid confines of their box!

There are other ways to consume racing content of course. There is Twitter, where you can grab a snapshot of some key news or what your favourite driver had for tea. There is Facebook where you might get a team telling you about a product their new sponsor wants you to buy or if you’re really lucky you might see a Snapchat of Lewis Hamilton playing with lions. All credit to McLaren recently for launching their own App but it’s one team, among thousands of them, and while it’s a handy tool, it’s not ground-breaking stuff. We need, as a motorsport community, to do more. We must collaborate, discuss, share. Let’s go lateral instead of linear. We need to get creative and snap ourselves out of the traditional way of thinking. We’re all responsible. Sponsors and rights holders need to do more to engage a digital audience, (some) teams need to open their minds and come up with real digital strategies and take them seriously. A jovial tweet in the Paddock does not constitute creative digital marketing. Don’t get me wrong, there are glimpses. The likes of Red Bull and Formula E have made some lovely shareable and rich content but we need more. Furthermore, it needs to be in a place where it’s easy to access, without the clutter of football, Katy Perry or what Justin Bieber’s named his pet tarantula! Granted, after reading Liberty Media’s Investor Relations pack, digital is clearly a focus but this extends beyond Formula One. The people at the very top of global motorsport need to look at the success of other sports or even other industries and thrust themselves into the digital landscape and carve out a plan that engages fans; present and future. Stick with the status-quo and we’ll continue to engage with our sport at arms length and never capitalise on the potential to affect people, to monetize, to enthral, to grow and to excite.

MotorMouth has been built to fill this void. It’s early in our life-cycle but we’re driven and determined to build on the foundations we’ve put down to turn motorsport into the world’s most connected sport.

By Tim Silvey, Chief Strategy Officer & Podcaster, MotorMouth

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An unhappy Sergio Perez accused Daniel Ricciardo of “disrespectful” driving after the pair encountered each other on track during Q1.
Both drivers dropped out in the first round of qualifying after losing time when Ricciardo tried to overtake Perez at the final corner before their flying laps.
“I think we could have got through to Q2 to be honest,” said Perez, who qualified 17th.
“We all know traffic is tricky in Q1,” Sergio Perez said.
On his radio at the end of Q1 Perez also complained he was not in a good position on the track when his lap time began.

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