Coronavirus: Silverstone to make British GP decision at end of April

London, April 1: A decision over whether the British Grand Prix can go ahead this year will be made by the end of April.

Formula One, like the rest of the global sporting calendar, has been severely impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19.

The first eight scheduled races in 2020 have either been cancelled or postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

F1 still hopes to stage at least a revised season of between 15 and 18 races, which could finish as late as January 2021.

The British Grand Prix, slated to take place at Silverstone on July 19, had been earmarked as a potential opener for a shortened campaign and race organisers have set out their timeline for making a call.

"Silverstone and Formula 1 remain in close dialogue regarding the ongoing situation and are assessing the feasibility of holding the British Grand Prix on 17th-19th July," a widely reported statement read.

"We fully appreciate that other UK sporting events in July have taken decisions regarding their events, but it is important to highlight that their logistics and sporting arrangements differ from Silverstone's and, therefore, our timeline gives us until the end of April to make a final decision.

"The safety of our fans, colleagues and the F1 community will be our priority and we will continue to engage with the appropriate authorities."