'China begged F1 to let race go ahead in 2023'

The Chinese Grand Prix has been cancelled again this year due to the corona virus. Late last year, Formula 1 announced that the race would not go ahead. In addition, F1 later decided not to appoint a replacement for this Grand Prix either, so there is now a long break.

The Chinese Grand Prix was first on the calendar in 2004, but has been cancelled every year since 2020 due to corona virus problems in the country. The circuit has a contract till 2025 and, if everything is back on track, would be back on the calendar next year.

China pleaded with F1

This year's Grand Prix was cancelled for the fourth year in a row and it now appears that the government of Shanghai, the city where the race is held, was not happy about it. They wanted the Grand Prix to go ahead this year.

“The Shanghai government behind the scenes was reaching out to Formula One saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to be fine for April, don’t worry, Covid is gone now, we’re opening up, please come back.’ They really wanted to show that China was open again and they were once again an international city," Mark Dreyer told iNews.