Could coronavirus make Dutch GP the first race of the season?

Coronavirus is making front page headlines across the world right now, with the virus spreading to different parts of the globe on a seemingly daily basis, and it may start to make even more backpage headlines following the cancellation of several sporting events, such as Italian football matches and the Chinese Grand Prix.

The outbreak has gotten so bad, it is feared that even more F1 races will be cancelled, due to the global nature of F1 and how easy it is to pass on the virus whilst travelling.

More and more cases of the virus are being reported, and F1 correspondent for Dutch site NOS, Louis Dekker, reckons that the Dutch Grand Prix could even become the first race of the season, suggesting the Australian, Bahrain and Vietnam Grands Prix will all be cancelled.

He told Dutch station Radio 1: "Formula 1 itself is still in the denial phase and on all sides is trying to insist that everything just continues. The most bizarre is the Vietnam GP. The CEO says that everything is ready to continue, but that they are monitoring the situation in Hanoi. But in the meantime, no one thinks the Grand Prix will go ahead, except for the top of the Formula 1 itself.

"It is very curious to say, but Zandvoort is number five on the calendar and could just be the first race.

“China has already been postponed and Vietnam is not going through, then Zandvoort will be the third race of the season. Then you have Bahrain, where 26 cases of the corona virus have been detected and flights are being canceled. The seasonal start is in Australia, but how do you get there? More and more international flights are being blocked"