Motor racing-RTL to cover Vietnam GP remotely due to virus fears

RTL SA

20/02/2020 12:36

By Alan Baldwin
    BARCELONA, Feb 20 (Reuters) - German free-to-air broadcaster
RTL will cover the Vietnamese Formula One Grand Prix remotely
due to the spread of the coronavirus in the region, it said in a
statement.
    The Chinese GP originally scheduled for Shanghai on April 19
was called off last week, with the hope of rescheduling later in
the year, but a street race in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi
remains on for April 5.
    Local officials told Reuters this month that Vietnam had
quarantined a community of 10,000 people near Hanoi for 20 days
because of fears the coronavirus could spread there from
neighbouring China.
    RTL said in a statement on its website (www.rtl.de) that it
felt the health risks were too high to send staff to Vietnam for
the race.
    "Instead, the entire production of the live broadcast will
be relocated to Cologne," it said.
    Formula One is also broadcast live in Germany by Sky
Deutschland on pay TV.
    Formula One and the teams have already sent sea freight to
Vietnam, the third round of the season which starts in Australia
on March 15.
    Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told reporters at
testing in Spain on Thursday that the initial feedback from
Formula One management was that the race would go ahead as
planned.
    "We just follow their lead on it," he said.
    Horner sounded doubtful, however, about the chances of the
Chinese round being rescheduled or replaced by another venue.
    "I think you've got to look at the logistics of it. It's a
tough calendar this year and if it were to go Brazil-China-Abu
Dhabi, that's a big ask at that time of year from all the staff.
    "We'd have to look at that and consider that very
carefully."
    Brazil is due to be the penultimate race of the season on
Nov. 15, with Abu Dhabi the final round on Nov. 29.

 (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
 ((alan.baldwin@thomsonreuters.com; +442075427933;))