The opening two rounds of the 2020 MotoGP world championship have been scrubbed from the schedule due to travel restrictions put in place over coronavirus fears.
On Sunday night series organisers Dorna Sports and MotoGP’s governing body the FIM announced it had to cancel the Qatar Grand Prix for the premier class due to the Qatari government imposing a 14-day quarantine on all travellers coming from Italy – where a large chunk of the paddock is based, and where a spike in cases was seen over the weekend.
On Monday morning the Thailand government also confirmed it would be postponing its race – though official confirmation from the FIM is forthcoming.
In the latest edition of the Tank Slappers podcast, Autosport’s International Editor Lewis Duncan is joined by Motorsport.com’s Global MotoGP Editor Oriol Puigdemont to discuss the latest coronavirus situation surrounding MotoGP.
They also discuss the early implications this has on the 2020 MotoGP title battle.
The Tank Slappers podcast is Autosport and the Motorsport Network’s podcast for all things two-wheeled, and can be found on Apple Podcasts via iTunes, Google Podcasts and Spotify – simply search for ‘Tank Slapper’.