#CoronavirusOutbreak: Ecclestone says F1 season should be canceled
Bernie Ecclestone has said this season's Formula One championship should be canceled because it appears unlikely that enough races can be completed for it to be valid. F1 like all major sport has seen its progress stall in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The deadly virus has claimed more than 60,000 lives globally. Here's what Ecclestone stated.
Doubts remain regarding the completion of 2020 F1 season
The opening eight rounds of the F1 2020 season have been either cancelled or postponed. And now, there are doubts over a number of the other 14 races as the pandemic continues to overshadow the sporting calendar. A minimum of eight races are required for the F1 season to be valid. Former F1 chief executive Ecclestone believes that will not be possible.
We should stop the championship this year: Ecclestone
"We should stop the championship this year and start again next year, hopefully, because I can't see it's going to be possible to get the right amount of races in that count for a championship," the 89-year-old told BBC Radio. "There's got to be eight from memory, and I can't see them getting that in. It's a difficult situation."
F1: There were a lot of expectations this year
Mercedes driver and six-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton was aiming to equal the record held by legend Michael Schumacher (7 titles). Moreover, all eyes were on Ferrari in terms of stopping Mercedes this season. Also, Sebastian Vettel was in the final year of his contract at Ferrari. There hasn't been an official announcement that it will be extended as of yet.
The races which have been postponed or canceled
Australian Grand Prix (canceled), Bahrain Grand Prix (postponed), Vietnam Grand Prix (postponed), Chinese Grand Prix (postponed), Dutch Grand Prix (postponed), Spanish Grand Prix (postponed), Monaco Grand Prix (canceled) and Azerbaijan Grand Prix (postponed).
