Coronavirus not set to disrupt opening three races of 2020 season

The coronavirus has been one of the biggest topics of conversation around the world over the last number of weeks, as it continues to spread worldwide.

The threat that it poses to F1 became very clear when it was decided that the Chinese Grand Prix should be postponed, which lead to further questions about the calendar.

The opening three races of the year - Australia, Bahrain and Vietnam - came under evaluation due to their close proximity to where the virus originated and the travel routes that people use to get to the venues.

The virus has also spread to Europe. Italy is the most affected country with 453 confirmed cases and 12 deaths, meaning that problems could face the Ferrari and AlphaTauri teams this year.

MORE: What impact could the coronavirus have on F1 in 2020?

None of the opening three races are set to be affected, according to the CEO of Formula 1, Chase Carey.

“The Vietnam Grand Prix will take place on April 5 in Hanoi,” he said, as quoted by The Mirror. “And to anticipate another question, we do plan to proceed with the race.

“We're heading to Melbourne, heading to Bahrain and heading to Hanoi.”

Victoria's sports minister Martin Pakula added: “Melbourne is the only city in the world to host a Formula One race and a Grand Slam tennis tournament, and we look forward to the Grand Prix celebrating 25 years at Albert Park on March 15.”

Vietnam will host its first-ever F1 race this year, however there currently 16 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the Asian country.

Vietnam Grand Prix Corporation CEO Le Ngoc Chi stated that the nation is “ready and can't wait to welcome the world to Hanoi very soon”.