Coronavirus threatens Chinese Grand Prix as Christian Horner puts trust in F1 bosses

Under threat: The race is scheduled for Shanghai in April
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Tom Dutton9 March 2020

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says he "trusts" Formula One bosses to make the right call as the coronavirus threatens the Chinese Grand Prix.

The race is scheduled for Shanghai in April but the virus outbreak has raised the possibility of the race weekend being pushed back, or even cancelled.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently advising against all but essential travel to Shanghai, with more than 20,000 coronavirus cases reported across China.

The Chinese Grand Prix is on the fourth race weekend of the 2020 calendar, and asked if he would be comfortable sending his staff to China, Horner said: “At the moment we couldn't send anyone because they couldn't get there.

“Look, the FIA is the regulator, the Liberty is promoter. They are responsible for the health and wellbeing of not just the drivers in F1, but all the staff, and all of the travelling members of the media.

"I'm sure they'll take the necessary due diligence before making any commitment about either delaying or postponing or cancelling the race. So we have to trust their judgement and their knowledge."

Horner added: "We keep a very close eye on the situation which will be on the agenda on Wednesday's strategy meeting where we will get the next update.”

Health experts expect the battle to contain the coronavirus to last "months", while the outbreak has been declared a global health emergency.

In a statement last week, the FIA said: "[We will] evaluate the calendar of its forthcoming races and take any action required to help protect the global motorsport community and the wider public."

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