Formula 1 in 'very fragile state', warns McLaren boss
Formula 1 | April 06, 2020 11:35 ISTFormer Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has already said that the 2020/21 Championship should be cancelled.
Former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has already said that the 2020/21 Championship should be cancelled.
This weekend's race, in lieu of the inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix, will see Stokes race alongside Leclerc, Red Bull's Alex Albon, Williams' George Russell, McLaren's Lando Norris and WIlliams' Nicholas Latifi.
The first eight races of the Formula 1 season have been either postponed or cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Almost all sporting events in the United Kingdom have also come to a close.
The 76-year-old said he had the idea to bring his Formula 1 drivers and juniors together in a camp, which "would be the ideal time for the infection to come."
The original 2020 calendar had 22 races but the season is yet to start with the first eight postponed or cancelled and more likely to be called off amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The first seven races of the Formula One season have now been postponed, with Netherlands and Spain joining Monaco as the latest to be called off.
Some countries were closing borders and imposing strict travel bans, Hamilton added, “yet F1 continues to go on.”
Growing concern about the virus outbreak which has already forced one race to be postponed while another to be staged without fans.
The Dutchman was expected to be one of the key cogs in this year's driver market, with his previous contract only keeping him at Red Bull until the end of 2020.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was penalized for not slowing down after Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas had a hard crash just ahead of him on his final lap of Saturday's qualifying.
Manuel Correa remains in a state of induced coma, 18 days after he suffered a spinal injury in a crash which killed French driver Anthoine Hubert.
Melbourne will host the Formula 1 Grand Prix until at least 2025, officials on Friday revealed, announcing a two-year extension for racing at the city's iconic Albert Park circuit.
By beating Bottas by almost 25 seconds, Hamilton extended his championship lead over the Finn to 39 points and moved ahead of Jim Clark and Alain Prost to take the record for British GP victories.
Chasing the leading trio, the Red Bull driver used all of his overtaking skills to get past Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas in the closing stages of the race.
Hamilton's third win of the campaign let him take the championship lead by seven points over Bottas, who had entered the race with a one-point advantage.
Bottas, who leads Hamilton by one point in the standings, got back out with 15 minutes left of the session and clocked the third fastest time.
Hamilton compared Leclerc's situation to his own debut season at McLaren in 2007, when he was alongside then-reigning champion Fernando Alonso.
The 29-year-old Finn kept his emotions in check after what he described as the drive of his life to win the Australian GP on Sunday, his fourth F1 title and his first since 2017.
Mercedes was a hot favourite to win in Melbourne after dominating every practice session but surprisingly, it was Bottas who finished with a gap of 20 seconds.
The season-opening race is next Sunday at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
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