Formula One

Formula One could shorten grand prix weekends and race into January if that helps salvage a season ravaged by the coronavirus, according to Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto.

Six-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton says he is self-isolating but will not get tested for coronavirus as others need attention more than him.

Wayne Rooney has claimed "footballers in England were being treated like guinea pigs" before the 2019-20 campaign was put on hold, with the coronavirus causing huge disruptions to the sporting calendar across the world. Wayne Rooney has claimed "footballers in England were being treated like guinea pigs" before the 2019-20 campaign was put on hold, with the coronavirus causing huge disruptions to the sporting calendar across the world.

Formula One will call off the next two races in Bahrain and Vietnam after the cancellation of Sunday’s Australian season-opener due to the coronavirus outbreak, multiple F1 sources told Reuters on Friday.

AFP looks at the effects on the sport of the coronavirus, which by Thursday had killed over 4,600 people while infecting more than 127,000 in 115 countries and territories.

The Formula One season was thrown into doubt on Friday with the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix due to the coronavirus, with chief executive Chase Carey saying it was “challenging” to predict when the next race might take place.

The Mercedes star, who is gunning to match Michael Schumacher’s record seven world crowns this season, sat alongside Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo in the media session, but a large open space separated them from the press.

Saudi Arabia imposed a temporary lockdown on Sunday on the eastern oil-producing province of Qatif, home to all 11 people in the kingdom who have tested positive for the coronavirus, and suspended all schools and universities nationwide.

“Convening a major sporting event, which is open to the public and allows thousands of international travellers and local fans to interact in close proximity would not be the right thing to do at the present time,” the Bahrain International Circuit said.

Basketball superstar LeBron James said Friday he won’t play if his Los Angeles Lakers have to hold games behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The NBA has reportedly told teams to look into strategies on how to play games without fans in the arena amid concerns over the new coronavirus outbreak.

The Six Nations rugby union match between Italy and England was postponed on Thursday, the latest high-profile sports event to be scratched from the international calendar due to the global spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Thailand’s MotoGP was postponed over the new coronavirus on Monday as motorcycling’s premier championship took its second hit in two days from the deadly outbreak.

Table tennis’s world team championships, due to take place next month in the South Korean city of Busan, were postponed on Tuesday following a leap in novel coronavirus cases.

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has said an apparent failure by title rival Max Verstappen to acknowledge his achievements was a “sign of weakness”.

Queen Elizabeth’s oldest grandchild Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn have separated and will divorce, a spokesman said Tuesday, piling more misery on Britain’s most famous family.

The chaos in China’s sporting programme caused by the deadly coronavirus outbreak, which has already forced China to cancel or reschedule a host of events, is spreading into Asia’s sporting calendar.

The Mercedes Formula One team confirmed on Saturday that they had dismissed four members of staff following an internal investigation into an incident of racist bullying.