2020 Chinese GP might be postponed due to Covid-19 outbreak

It looks like this year's Chinese Grand Prix in Formula 1 will have to be delayed. This comes after reports that the racing body will supposedly call off the race due to the Covid-19 (renamed from Coronavirus) outbreak.

According to ESPN, an official announcement will supposedly be made soon regarding the race. However, there is no word if the Chinese Grand Prix (which is scheduled on April 19 in Shanghai) will only be postponed or cancelled altogether.

Should the Shanghai race be postponed or dropped from this year's calendar, it will become a logistics and schedule nightmare for the organizers, as well as the teams. Not only that, the race's absence will mean a four-week long gap between two new racing events for 2020; the first-ever Vietnamese Grand Prix on April 15, and the return of the Dutch Grand Prix slated on May 3.

But what if they could just swap out one of other racers this year for the original Shanghai date? Sadly, Ross Brawn, head of Formula 1, has ruled out that possibility.

This is not the first time a racing event had to be postponed or cancelled. Just recently, the FIA had to cancel the China-leg of the 2019-2020 Formula E race event. It was supposed to take place in Sanya, a city situated in the Hainan province, south of the Mainland. Even though the island itself is far from Wuhan, the organizers decided not to take any chances due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

To date, over 1,100 deaths have been reported due to Covid-19 while over 45,000 individuals have been confirmed to have the disease worldwide.

Prevention truly is better than cure, and with the many people expected to be there during the 3-day race weekend, this may be the most prudent choice to take.