What Happened to Bettors at the 2020 Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne
The Formula 1 championship is rightfully called the Queen of Motorsport, because it is difficult to find something more grandiose than the circuit racing championship. Such a championship consists of several stages called the Grand Prix, which take place in different countries. One of the countries that was lucky enough to host the Grand Prix stage was Australia in 1985. But in 2020, like the rest of the world, the auto racing industry has been hit by a crisis. This, accordingly, affected the championship, and most of all, the world of betting and players, who then lost huge amounts of money.
What is Formula 1
Formula One is the greatest world championship in circuit racing, which consists of several Grands Prix and takes place in different countries. Usually the F1 season starts in March with the start of the first stage and ends in September-October with the completion of the last stage. F1 is called the royal racing tournament because it is the pinnacle of achievement for most racing drivers in the world. Formula 1 demonstrates the highest level of technical techniques. This championship is considered the most expensive in the world – what are the fees of participants and investments in cars. Well, the most decisive factor is the worldwide fame and popularity of the racing championship among all countries and continents. Every year, more than hundreds of thousands of spectators are present at each stage of the competition, and three times more fans watch the races through live broadcasts.
Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia
The Australian Grand Prix is one of the stages of the world championship in circuit racing, which takes place annually in Melbourne. This practice was introduced in 1985, when the first stage of the race was held in Australia. 1996 marked a new track called Albert Park, where the stage runs to this day. Every year Melbourne has the honor of opening the World Cup by hosting the first round in mid-March. The only exception was 2006, when the dates of the stage coincided with the dates of the Commonwealth Games, so the Australian Grand Prix became the third in the total number of stages.
What happened to the stage in 2020?
It was 2020 that became the most epic and disappointing in the history of the entire Formula 1. It has been the biggest disappointment for fans and bettors, who by the beginning of the stage had already made more than 1,000,000 bids on various races of the Melbourne stage, and moreover, they had already arrived at the place of the races. They received information about the cancellation of the race only 2 hours before the start of the entire stage.
Initially, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic around the world, various world series and championships were canceled one after another, but Formula 1 held on until the end. Unfortunately, these were desperate attempts not to lose money and sponsors of the championship.
Formula 1 itself promised to return money for Grand Prix tickets, but no one was going to return money for hotels and flights. This made the fans furious.
Bettors suffered the most. As we have already said, before the start of Formula 1, more than 1,000,000 different bids were already made on the races of the first stage of the Grand Prix in Melbourne. The bookies that accepted all these bets didn’t expect this turn of events either. Since such a cancellation has been not their fault, they were unable to refund the players the money that was spent on placing bets on the race. Huge amounts of bettors’ money were spent for nothing, but bookmakers got this money from scratch.
Quick decision – Cyber-Formula 1 and features of it
Since Formula 1, like all world championships, has been forced to go into quarantine, it was decided to adapt to the realities of the pandemic and hold cyber Formula 1. Initially, such a stage was tested at the end of March in Bahrain, but soon the organizers of the championship pleased the fans with the news that in early April such a stage would also be held in Australia. Initially, cyber Formula 1 has been supposed to be hosted in Hanoi, but since there was no necessary track, the race was moved to Albert Park in Melbourne.
This decision has been very good news for bettors, who have already become completely disappointed and forget about profit. However, cyber F1 opened up a second wind in them and the world of racing betting came to life again.
Betting on the Cyber Grand Prix in Melbourne
After the news about the virtual Grand Prix, a new stage of betting on races began. Most of all bet on the winner of the races, based on information about the favorites and outsiders. The favorites were determined by the analysis of previous races, as well as by evaluating their preparation, the condition of the cars. There were also a lot of bets on the qualification, in which there were three stages. New for F1 2020, riders have been given the freedom to turn anti-lock brakes and traction control on or off on their own. These changes also affect the rate format, creating little difficulty in making new analyzes and forecasts.
No pandemic has stopped the world of betting
Despite all the difficulties and obstacles faced by Formula 1, its fans, spectators and bettors in 2020, having found a way out, almost everyone was satisfied. The most important thing is that the unstable situation in the field of healthcare in the world did not affect the fact that millions of bets were still winning, and people were satisfied with their profits.