Baku still open to new date after postponement

The organizers of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix are still going to try and find a new date in 2020 after postponing the original race date of June 7.

Baku was the first confirmed race on the calendar after the cancellation of the Monaco Grand Prix last week, with all rounds prior to that already listed as postponed. However, the race in Azerbaijan has now become the eighth round to be pushed back due to COVID-19.

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“The postponement was agreed upon after extensive discussions with Formula 1 as well as the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the Government of the Azerbaijan Republic," said a statement issued by organizers on Monday.

"This comes as a direct result of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and has been based entirely on the expert guidance provided to us by the relevant authorities.

In coming to this conclusion, BCC’s primary concern throughout has been the health and well-being of the Azerbaijani people as well as all visiting F1 fans, staff and championship participants.”

While Monaco has already confirmed it can’t do a date later in the year and the Australian Grand Prix is also highly unlikely to be rescheduled given the complexity of building a street circuit, Baku organizers are optimistic that a new date can be found once racing is able to resume.

“BCC shares its fans disappointment at not being able to experience the pinnacle of motorsport race through the streets of Baku this June. To that end, we will continue to work closely with Formula 1, the FIA and the Government of the Azerbaijan Republic to monitor the situation with a view to announcing a new race date later in the 2020 season.”

As a result, the first race on the original 2020 calendar that has yet to be postponed or cancelled is the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, currently scheduled for June 14.

For more information about race postponements and cancellations across world motorsport, as well as updates for those holding tickets for affected events, click here.