Dorna boss fears cancellation of MotoGP season. Is this a warning for F1?

MotoGP

Dorna boss fears cancellation of MotoGP season. Is this a warning for F1?

Carmelo Ezpeleta claims without a coronavirus vaccine it will be "difficult or impossible" to stage races

Ian Parkes

Tuesday 7 April 2020 16:13 Updated: 18:09

Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta fears he will have to cancel the 2020 MotoGP season in its entirety.

Ezpeleta's comments will surely strike a chord inside Formula 1, that has placed around half its staff on furlough, while senior executives such as Chase Carey and Ross Brawn have taken pay cuts.

Speaking openly about the prospects of any racing this season, Ezpeleta does not believe events can be staged until a vaccine to combat the coronavirus has been found.

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"I am not very confident that we will be able to run the 2020 GP season," Ezpeleta told speedweek.com. "Even if we continue to work hard on it.

"We will consider all possible solutions, but to be honest, I would be surprised if it were possible to host races this year. We will now have to wait for the next developments.

"But until we have vaccines to stop the spread of the coronavirus, it will be very difficult or impossible to organise MotoGP and other major events.

"Even if life should normalise a bit again, the travel bans will remain in place in all countries. If it doesn't, they'd be crazy, so it will not be possible for a large number of people to watch a football match live or attend a MotoGP event."

Ezpeleta, who insists the series can survive without a 2020 season, has not ruled out the prospect of this year's championship comprising just five or six races, or of events being run behind closed doors.

"We have more than five months until September," added Ezpeleta. "If we could start in September, we could still handle more than four or five grands prix.

"We could then turn the calendar upside down. Maybe we can run a few races in Europe and then travel to Asia if the travel bans are relaxed there by then. It depends on how the situation develops worldwide.

"As soon as we see a green light, we can react and do everything we can. We will organise every race that we can manage this season."

As to the prospect of races without fans, Ezpeleta said: "It is better to have races without spectators rather than no races at all.

"But we already have 2000 people in a GP paddock in the best case anyway, so we would have to send 2,000 people around the world.

"This is only possible if the virus has been defeated or the spread has been restricted. Otherwise, it is a very difficult task.

"If we can't handle the events with real health considerations, if that can't be guaranteed, we won't risk anything. Nothing at all!

"We don't have to fool ourselves, governments and health authorities will not allow us to run a grand prix."