Mclaren F1 staff back home after quarantine in Melbourne
PARIS: All the Mclaren Formula One team members quarantined Melbourne since the cancelled Australian Grand Prix have returned home, the Uk-based outfit reported on Thursday.
“We are pleased to confirm that as of yesterday (Wednesday) evening, all team personnel who were in self-isolation in Melbourne, as well as management who had stayed with them, have now safely returned home,” a spokesperson confirmed.
A total of 16 Mclaren staff were placed in quarantine for two weeks at the request of the Australian medical authorities.
One because he had tested positive for the coronavirus, another because of developing virus-like symptoms and the remainder because they had been in close contact with the British mechanic who had tested positive.
Three management personnel remained in Australia to support them.
Mclaren announced last week that the mechanic was symptom-free.
It was Mclaren’s decision to pull out of the race after announcing that one of their staff had tested positive for COVID-19 on the Thursday before the race that triggered the cancellation of the 2020 season’s opening Grand Prix on March 15.
With both Melbourne and Monaco cancelled, and six other races (Bahrain, Vietnam, China, the Netherlands, Spain and Azerbaijan) postponed the season is now due to kick off in Montreal on June 14.
A year that was due to feature 22 Grand Prix will now be reduced to between “15 and 18”, according to F1 chairman Chase Carey.
Meanwhile, Australian Daniel Ricciardo reckons self-isolation makes for a perfect training camp — although it helps to be on the family farm in western Australia with a swimming pool and some machinery to play with.
Speaking in a live Instagram Q+A organised by his Renault Formula One team, the Australian talked about what he was doing to pass the time waiting for a coronavirus ravaged season to start.
“I know it’s probably going to be a while till we race again, but I’m not allowing myself to go back into holiday mode,” said Ricciardo.
“Training is definitely the thing that’s keeping me with that competitive mindset. You get some anger out when you train, so that’s my medicine for now.
“I feel like now it’s kind of perfect to get in shape,” added the 30-year-old. “We’re forced to stay in, there’s no jet lag, no airports, we can really create a real training camp, which we don’t always have.”
Ricciardo said he expected to see other drivers looking pretty fit when they finally got back together again, even if they might have so much pent up aggression that they all collided at the first corner.
The Australian said he might just qualify last to avoid the carnage and cash in.
Ricciardo obligingly jumped into his swimming pool after agreeing to do so if enough people urged him to and revealed his other activities involved driving buggies and watching the sheep being sheared.
He also posted a picture on Instagram of himself singing along while driving a tractor.