'Chinese Grand Prix cancelled due to covid rules'

The 2023 Chinese Grand Prix will be cancelled due to China's covid policy, reports the BBC. According to the British medium, the decision was taken mainly because Formula 1 staff would not be exempted from China's strict quarantine rules.

Currently, the rules in China are such that if someone contracts covid, they have to spend five days in an isolation centre and then another three days in home isolation. It would not be feasible for Formula 1 to force teams into such a position where staff have to spend eight days in quarantine.

Formula 1 has not yet officially announced that the race will be cancelled, nor has it responded to the BBC's questions. However, it seems highly likely that the change in the calendar will be announced soon.

Race will not be replaced

According to the BBC, no replacement race will be sought and so the calendar will be reduced to 23 races. The four-week gap created by the elimination of China should be filled by bringing forward the race in Azerbaijan. According to the BBC, Formula 1 is currently in talks with the organisers to make that happen.

The Chinese Grand Prix was scheduled for 16 April 2023 and was supposed to be the fourth race of the season. It would be the first time since 2019 that a race would be held in China again. During the full pandemic, the country did not appear on the calendar because of strict rules around quarantine and isolation.