For the first time since 1954, the iconic Monaco Grand Prix won't be part of this year's Formula One season.
The FIA have confirmed that May's Dutch and Spanish Grand Prix have also been postponed due to the coronavirus - following on from the races in Australia, Bahrain, Vietnam and China.
F1 chairman Chase Carey says they're hoping the delayed season can commence in late May and that there's "full support" for "as many of the postponed races as possible as soon as it is safe to do so."
But Monaco's organisers, the Automobile Club de Monaco, say it's not an option to reschedule their race later in the year:
“The current situation concerning the worldwide pandemic and its unknown path of evolution, the lack of understanding as to the impact on the FIA F1 World Championship 2020, the uncertainty with regards to the participation of the teams, the consequences with regards to the differing measures of confinement as taken by various governments worldwide, the multi-border restrictions for accessing the Principality of Monaco, the pressure on all implicated businesses, their dedicated staff who are unable to undertake the necessary installations, the availability of the indispensable workforce and volunteers (more than 1500) required for the success of the event means that the situation is no longer tenable.
"Under no circumstances will it be possible to organise these events later this year."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
