Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has urged Formula 1 fans to pull together amid the coronavirus pandemic and admits the championship must take a backseat until the crisis is resolved🍨.

In an open letter, Wolff spoke of his disappointment to have seen the start of the 2020 season delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which forced the Australian Grand Prix be♉ing a🌳bandoned, as well as the next six races being shelved.

But the Austrian acknowledged that racing is “by no means essential” in the grand scheme of things and 🌺stressed Mercedes and F1 as a whole must to everything possible to keep its staff and wider public safe.

"Whether you support silver or red, pink or yellow, orange or blue – what unites us i𝔍s our passion for racing,” Wolff wrote.

“So, the prospect of months without F1 just as the season was about to start, after months of hard work to be🍒 ready for the new campaign – th𓆉at prospect might be disappointing.

“We must also realise, that racing is entertainment. We take it very seriously, 𒈔because we love it. But in the grand scheme of things, it is byꦿ no means essential.

“The health and wellbeing of our fans, our team members and society 🐠in general, however, is.