FIA president Jean Todt says it is not yet clear when the motorsport schedule will be able to return to normal due to the Coronavirus.
Over 100 races worldwide have already been cancelled or postponed as a result of the pandemic. Among the latest races to be affected is the World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Spa in Belgium, which was called off today.Todt was criticised for posting a social media update about a business conference last week without acknowledging the deepening crisis, while F1 was debating whether to cancel the Australian Grand Prix following a positive Coronavirus test for a paddock member. He addressed the motorsport community in a video issued today.
“Dear friends, as the world is going through a historic pandemic I want to tell you how close I am to all of you,” said Todt.
“As you are aware, the situation is critical and constantly evolving. Protecting people has to be the priority. I would like to express my support and solidarity to all citizens and to those who contribute to motorsport and mobility.
“As you know, we had to cancel or postpone the events scheduled within the next weeks and at this stage we have no clear visibility on when our life will be back to normal.”
Todt urged motorsport fans to follow the World Health Organization’s guidelines on how to protect themselves and others from the virus.
“It is our shared responsibility to take all the necessary measures and I urge all of you to strictly to the WHO’s safety instructions and the ones of your national governments. Only individual discipline will allow us to overcome this virus. Together we will do it.”
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Jon Bee
17th March 2020, 0:24
Oh, go back to sleep Todt. We know you’re only interested in mobility, whatever that is. The FIA is due for a re-boot. Time to get rid of the dead wood and separate the sporting side from Todt’s political ambitions. I hate empire builders.
NS Biker (@rekibsn)
17th March 2020, 3:00
Maybe it is just me … but he seems to give the impression that he considers motorsport and racing is pivotal and vital to society.
Sorry mate, it’s entertainment, sport to some.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
17th March 2020, 5:24
@rekibsn – well, the situation is more nuanced.
At it’s core, motorsport is only entertainment and a sport. But motorsport doesn’t work in isolation.
There are rings of genuine business that surround motorsport. Apart from the teams themselves, there are large supply chains and logistics, suppliers with manufacturing processes that depend on motorsport.
So, while it is unlikely that the cessation of motorsport is going to cause someone like Toto or Vettel pay a mortgage (if they even have one!), the situation could be very different for John the machinist who makes flanges, Jack the delivery driver, or Jill who bakes snacks bought by a team’s HQ.
Likewise, there are economies built up around venues, such as hospitality, catering, transport, etc. which have very normal people doing a regular job, who are likely to be hurt if this halt on motorsport continues. Heck, I’m not sure how this impacts the motorsport media as well (I presume there is), there’s only so much that they can write about the current situation.
Now, I’m not saying that this is a reason to throw caution to the winds and immediately resume motorsport. But it is a strong factor that will no doubt be motivating people to restart various activities that have been halted (motorsport, sport, concerts, movie screenings, etc.) at an appropriate time.
I’m also not saying that Todt has all these concerns in mind, his focus might be narrower to his interests. But we shouldn’t pooh-pooh motorsport as an indulgence; it is instead one of the (many) engines of the economy.
RB13
17th March 2020, 10:50
@phylyp you have my vote for COTD
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
17th March 2020, 12:18
@phylyp Well said.
I also want to give credit to Jean for trying to say the right thing.