14/04/2020
NEWS STORY
Tonight's announcement by French president, Emmanuel Macron, that the lockdown in France will continue, means that the French Grand Prix, scheduled for 28 June is likely to be postponed.
Speaking to the nation, Macron, as expected, announced that the lockdown first imposed on 17 March will be extended to 11 May, while the ban on public gathering is extended to July.
"Places where people gather; restaurants, cafes, hotels, cinemas, theatres, concert halls and museums, will remain closed," said Macron. "Big festivals and events with large public gatherings cannot take place before mid-July at the earliest.
"The national situation will be evaluated collectively from mid-May, every week, to adapt things and give you visibility. Our borders with non-European countries will remain closed until further notice."
Following the postponement or cancellation of 8 previous events, it was hoped that the race at Paul Ricard might finally see the 2020 season get underway, tonight's announcement however has put paid to that.
F1 boss, Chase Carey had previously talked of a bid to stage a 15 - 8 race calendar, while Ross Brawn suggested that as many as 19 races were possible.
With no genuine sign of a real easing off of the virus, one has to wonder whether Carey and Brawn really believe what they were saying and genuinely feel a decent number of races are still possible, or whether they were merely putting a brave face on things for the sake of the fans, the teams, broadcasters and sponsors.
The imminent announcement of the postponement of the Paul Ricard event will leave Austria as the possible venue of the opening round of the season.