Following reports claiming that next year's Chinese Grand Prix is to be cancelled, F1 insists that no such decision has been made.

Last week the BBC reported that the event had been cancelled "as a result of the country's COVID policies", which led to the sport's powers that be concluding that the race could not go ahead.

According to the BBC, the main sticking point is that F1 personnel - and presumably those of the teams - would not be exempt from the strict quarantine requirements in the event of suffering infection.

Under the rules infected staff would be detained at an isolation centre for five days, followed by a further three at home and according to the BBC, F1 felt that it cannot "ask teams to go to the country with the risk that staff could be detained for days if they caught coronavirus".

However, a spokesperson for F1 insists that no such decision has been taken, telling France's AFP: “China has been included in the 2023 calendar and, until we announce otherwise, this remains the case.”

China last hosted a round of the world championship in 2019, when it hosted the 1,000th round of the world championship, and should it be removed and F1 unable to replace it the 2023 schedule would still remain the busiest in the history of the sport.

In recent days, China has witnessed protests in Shanghai, Beijing and, ironically, Wuhan, over the country's strict COVID restrictions which have seen some citizens suspected of being infected under lockdown in their homes for months while others are held in mass 'isolation centres'.

Indeed, the growing civil unrest in the country alone appears to be as big a threat to the race as the virus.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by The Canadian, 30/11/2022 15:30

"So the whole "Uyghurs begin persecuted" thing gets overlooked as well? Oh right, i forgot. Nations with deep pockets get their Human Rights issued overlooked when it comes to F1..."

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2. Posted by Defiant, 28/11/2022 18:18

"Hypocrisy at its finest."

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3. Posted by Chester, 28/11/2022 14:48

"A second Aussie or a first New Zealand race beats the heck out of going to China. Hope China race never comes back."

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4. Posted by kenji, 28/11/2022 12:34

"I fully endorse your suggestions Max..renew a great Tasman Series for the off season.
sounds excellent to me."

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5. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 28/11/2022 11:25

"Not biased are you Max, great idea though."

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6. Posted by Max Noble, 28/11/2022 9:33

"LEt’s get Philip Island up to F1 standards, and have two immediate Aussie Races. Then let’s have a new GP circuit just outside Hobart, and combine a GP weekend with the start/end of Targa Tassie. Then lets get serious about a New Zealand GP… :-) A sweet little quadruple header…"

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No decision on China 2023 insists F1

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