Formula 1 says it will continue to ‘take a scientific approach’ to the coronavirus outbreak, outlining some measures it has taken to safeguard personnel.
The Formula 1 World Championship kicks off this weekend in Melbourne, with the race at Albert Park set to go ahead as normal. However, the Bahrain Grand Prix on the following weekend will take place behind closed doors as a ‘participants-only’ event, with the Chinese Grand Prix postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak globally.
Other major motorsports like Super Formula, Moto GP and DTM have all taken a pre-emptive approach to containment by postponing and cancelling events, but Formula 1 say they are waiting for daily advice from health organisations in order to make decisions regarding how they should best proceed.
In a statement released on Monday night, F1 said: “Due to the fluid nature of the virus, F1 will continue to take a scientific approach to the situation, acting on daily advice from the official health authorities and the advice or measures each host promoter may enact.”
However, while the events themselves are being affected, the paddock itself will still be filled by teams, personnel and media – Formula 1 says they are doing their best to ensure that COVID-19 doesn’t get a chance to get a foothold within the internal machinations of the sport itself:
“F1 has itself implemented a number of measures based upon advice from Public Health England, including the suspension of all non-essential travel. Dedicated teams of experts will be deployed at airports, transit points and at circuits to safeguard personnel, focused on the diagnosis, management and extraction of suspected cases. Bespoke quarantine points are being installed by promoters for any suspected cases.”
“For F1, the FIA and all teams and promoters, the safety of our people is at all times paramount.”
