Brown only wants 'a suitable candidate' to replace GP China

McLaren CEO Zak Brown does not want the China Grand Prix to be simply replaced. Speaking to Sky Sports, Brown says he only wants to see a suitable replacement for the race.

The Chinese Grand Prix was officially cancelled last week due to the strict covid policy China is implementing. The race was scheduled for 16 April 2023 and was supposed to be the fourth race of the season. The last time a race was held in China was in 2019. Since then, it has not featured on the calendar due to the pandemic and China's strict handling of it.

With the elimination of the China Grand Prix, a four-week gap opens up on the calendar. Portugal and Turkey are said to be ready to take over the race, as they have done in previous years. According to Brown, however, that is not the right approach.

"We shouldn't fill that gap just to fill it," said the McLaren CEO. "We really need to have the right race for that. It's a shame though that we won't go back to China, which is an important market for us. Hopefully they can solve their Covid situation, because I think that is the problem, and then we can go back there in 2024."