The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Formula 1’s season-opener in Australia called off
Race cancelled in wake of mechanic’s positive test
Formula One’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix has been postponed in the wake of British team McLaren withdrawing from the event after a team member tested positive for coronavirus, the PA news agency understands.
The decision was taken following a crisis two-hour summit involving F1’s under-fire hierarchy, its governing body, the FIA, and a number of the sport’s team principals in Melbourne.
F1’s move follows the tide of the sporting world after a series of events were cancelled or delayed yesterday in response to the deadly disease which has claimed more than 4,600 lives.
Lewis Hamilton had earlier heaped pressure on the sport’s bosses by claiming they were putting lives at danger with 300,000 fans expected at Albert Park over the next few days.
A British mechanic was told he had tested positive for the coronavirus at 9pm on Wednesday. A little more than an hour later, his McLaren team informed F1 and the FIA they were pulling the plug on their participation this weekend.
The individual remains in quarantine at the team’s hotel in Melbourne. It is understood at least a dozen other McLaren staff are in self-isolation after coming into contact with the individual, who arrived from England earlier this week. They are showing no symptoms related to the disease.
In all, nine people connected with the sport – none of whom are from Hamilton’s Mercedes team – have been tested for the virus, seven of which have been negative, one positive, and one still awaiting their results.
“McLaren Racing has confirmed this evening in Melbourne that it has withdrawn from the 2020 Formula One Australian Grand Prix, following the positive test of a team member for the coronavirus,” a statement from the British team read.
“The team member was tested and self-isolated as soon as they started to show symptoms and will now be treated by local healthcare authorities. The team has prepared for this eventuality and has ongoing support in place for its employee, who will now enter a period of quarantine.”
McLaren will now take direction from the local authorities regarding their next steps.
Earlier yesterday, six-time world champion Hamilton attacked F1’s decision to stage the Melbourne race.
“I am really very, very surprised that we are here,” he said during the official press conference to preview Sunday’s event.
“For me, it is shocking that we are sitting in this room. It seems like the rest of the world is reacting, probably a little bit late, but we have seen (US president) Donald Trump shut down the borders from Europe to the US, the NBA has been suspended, yet Formula One continues to go on.”
Asked why he thought the sport’s chiefs and its governing body, the FIA, had pushed ahead with the event, Hamilton, 35, said: “Cash is king. I don’t feel like I should shy away from my opinion.”
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, a director for the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said the grid could refuse to race if it was confirmed a team member had been infected.
The 32-year-old driver said: “If it was to go that far, for sure you pull the handbrake (on the race).”
Next weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, already set to be staged behind closed doors, now looks unlikely to take place, while the inaugural race in Vietnam on April 5 is also under major threat.
Following postponement of the Chinese Grand Prix, the season could now start in Holland on May 3, but that’s also subject to change.
The ATP has announced a six-week suspension of the men’s tennis tour because of the pandemic. News had come earlier yesterday from the mayor of Miami-Dade County that the Miami Open would not take place, and a statement from the ATP confirmed no tournaments will be held until the end of April at the earliest.
That includes another Masters event in Monte Carlo, along with tournaments in Barcelona, Houston, Marrakech and Budapest. If the situation allows, the tour will resume with low-key tournaments in Munich and Estoril on April 27, followed a week later by the Madrid Open.
The second grand slam of the year, the French Open, is due to begin in Paris on May 24.
Rugby’s Guinness PRO14, which features Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Italian and South African clubs, was suspended for an unspecified period of time.
America’s Major League Soccer competition has been suspended with immediate effect for 30 days.
The NBA season has been suspended indefinitely after a Utah Jazz player tested positive ahead of a match against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Basketball’s world governing body FIBA is suspending all its competitions from today, while EuroLeague Basketball is also suspended until further notice.
Golf’s PGA’s Players Championship (see page 54) will continue without spectators on site from today onwards.
A statement from the International Olympic Committee reaffirmed its commitment to the 2020 Games in Tokyo going ahead as scheduled, starting on July 24.
It said: “With 19 weeks before the opening ceremony of Tokyo 2020, the many measures being taken by authorities all around the world give us confidence and keep us committed to delivering Olympic Games that can bring the world together in peace.”