Formula 1 drivers have been reacting to the news that the start of this year’s Championship will be postponed until May, due to the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, which has seen the cancellation of the season opener in Australia, and the next race in Bahrain, as well as other major sporting events. The Vietnam Grand Prix, a new race for this year, has also been called off.
Several teams have supported the decision, including Scuderia Ferrari, Red Bull Racing and Williams Racing, stressing that safety of fans and team personnel is their top priority.
Reaction from drivers has also been positive, with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport‘s Lewis Hamilton taking the lead in support of the difficult situation the sport finds itself in.
Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas also posted on social media that he is looking forward to getting back to racing when the time is right.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also tweeted in support of the decision, expressing disappointment but also understanding.
AlphaTauri‘s Pirre Gasly also posted on social media, noting the sport will have to wait and see what the situation is with the COVID-19 outbreak before any racing is able to get underway.
While the decision by the FIA and F1 has been widely well-received, there is still a question over when fans will get to see on track action this year.
