Despite speculation of a replacement, Formula 1 have confirmed that no event will replace the recently cancelled Chinese Grand Prix, with the 2023 calendar to stick to what is still a record-breaking 23 races.
The announcement comes amid uncertainty of how many races there would be this season, with Portugal and Turkey having been in talks with the sport about replacing the Chinese GP.
The 2023 Chinese GP was, to no surprise, cancelled for a fourth successive year, as a result of the country’s incredibly strict COVID-19 guidelines.
Formula 1 had no other option but to cancel the race at the Shanghai International Circuit, as some members of the paddock would’ve been forced to serve a period of quarantine, something which simply isn’t possible given the intensity of the upcoming season.
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After cancelling the event, the sport stated that they “cannot ask teams to go to the country for the race in Shanghai with the risk that staff could be detained for days if they caught coronavirus.”
Interestingly, the organisers of the race soon asked F1 to reinstate it, after the Asian country relaxed its COVID guidelines.
The sport has since decided against reinstating or replacing it with a race at Istanbul or Portimao, meaning a new problem has arisen.
As a result of the cancellation of the event, there is now a four-week break between the Australian Grand Prix and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, making for somewhat of a Spring Break.
Moving the race at Baku was considered, given that there will now be almost a month between rounds three and four; however, this was decided against due to the weather typically seen in Azerbaijan at the start of April.
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With that in mind, Formula 1 stated: “Formula 1 can confirm the 2023 season will consist of 23 races. All existing race dates on the calendar remain unchanged.”
Should the COVID-19 regulations continue to be relaxed in China, then there is no reason as to why the race will need to be cancelled in 2024, something which would come as a tragedy to the nation.
As it stands, the Chinese Grand Prix is only contracted until 2025, adding further emphasis on why the event needs to happen, so that the event’s organisers can push for a new deal.