The FIA Formula 1 World Championship has confirmed that the 2023 Chinese Grand Prix will not take place due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation in the country.
Formula 1 was set to return to China for the first time since 2019, however, due to heavy restrictions and continuous lockdowns that have been put in place, leading to many protests across the country, and the sports governing body has made the decision to cancel the race for next year at the Shanghai International Circuit.
In a statement, F1 said, “Formula 1 can confirm, following dialogue with the promoter and relevant authorities, that the 2023 Chinese Grand Prix will not take place due to the ongoing difficulties presented by the COVID-19 situation.
“Formula 1 is assessing alternative options to replace the slot on the 2023 calendar and will provide an update on this in due course.”
With the Chinese Grand Prix being removed from next year’s calendar, that now leaves the next Formula 1 season with twenty-three races. However, this would still make it the longest schedule in the history of the sport, with next season seeing the introduction of the Las Vegas Grand Prix as well as the return of the Qatar Grand Prix.
However, Formula 1 bosses are said to looking into replacements for the event in a hope to still have twenty-four races for next season, with the two most likely destinations being events that hosted events in both 2020 and 2021.
The Portuguese Grand Prix at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, which hosted its first two races in Formula 1 in 2020 and 2021 after being brought in to cover races cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, and the Turkish Grand Prix at Intercity Istanbul Park, which made its return to the calendar in those two seasons as well for the same reason, are the two tracks said to be under consideration.
