Paris (AFP)

The F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain, March 22, and Vietnam, April 5, are postponed to unspecified dates due to the coronavirus pandemic, their organizers announced Friday after the cancellation of the Australian GP .

As a result, the Championship will start "May 1" in Zandvoort, the Netherlands, according to the International Automobile Federation (FIA), or "end of May in Europe" according to F1, which issued a joint statement to the exception of this point. AFP asked the two authorities for clarification.

Both add that, "given the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Europe in recent days, this situation will be regularly reviewed."

"Formula 1 and the FIA ​​continue to work closely with promoters in Bahrain and Vietnam and local authorities to monitor the situation and take the time necessary to study the viability of other dates for each Grand Prix later in the year. 'year if the situation improves', they continue.

These decisions, "intended to guarantee the health and safety of staff, championship participants and fans", come a few hours after the cancellation of the Australian GP, ​​which was to start the same day in Melbourne and mark the start of the season.

Following a night of procrastination after a member of the McLaren team tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, the Australian round was finally canceled on Friday morning.

For Vietnam, the postponement of what was to be its first GP is a serious blow. Especially since according to several experts, it seems unlikely that the race will be rescheduled this year.

- Four GPs canceled or postponed -

47 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the country and the communist regime has taken very protectionist measures in an attempt to stem the spread of the pandemic, responsible to date for more than 5,000 deaths worldwide.

For its entry into the world of F1, Hanoi signed a ten-year contract with the organizer of the World Championship, Formula One, worth an estimated $ 60 million a year. And the country's largest private conglomerate, VinGroup, which finances these entry fees, relied in particular on advertising revenue to reimburse its costs.

The establishment of a GP in Vietnam had raised uncertainties, after several disappointments for F1 in Asia.

If the GPs of China or Singapore, run at night and followed by 268,000 spectators throughout the weekend during the 2019 edition, are successful, they are an exception on the continent: India, the South Korea and Malaysia have stopped organizing this competition due to lack of profitability.

Before its postponement, the second event of the year, in Bahrain on March 22, was to take place behind closed doors.

A fourth GP, that of China scheduled for April 19, had already been postponed to an unspecified date.

© 2020 AFP