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The Australian Grand Prix has been postponed following McLaren's withdrawal from the Formula One season opener after a team member tested positive for coronavirus, according to reports.
The decision was taken following a crisis two-hour summit involving F1's hierarchy, its governing body, the FIA, and a number of the sport's team principals in Melbourne, the BBC and Sky Television Association have reported.
Motorsport.com quoted sources saying a majority of the teams were unhappy to continue and the FIA would accept the decision.
The governing FIA and Liberty Media-owned Formula One had yet to make an official comment by early on Friday morning. The BBC reported that the decision was made about 2am on Friday.
As reports emerge of the grand prix being called off, Victoria Police has not been informed of a cancellation and will still begin its operation at the track on Friday morning.
By 7.20am, the state government and Australian Grand Prix Corporation were not able to confirm whether the event was going ahead.
Cars could be heard on track at Albert Park on Friday morning and track officials were reported to have received a message asking them to head to the track as usual.
The gates are scheduled to open to the public at 8.45am, with the first event of the day - a historic cars demonstration - listed for a 9.10am start. Other events scheduled at the track on Friday include two qualifying sessions and the first race for Supercars, and two Formula One practice sessions from 12pm-1.30pm and 4pm-5.30pm.
The reports come as the ATP Tour suspended men's tennis for six weeks among a raft of measures implemented by sports across the globe.
McLaren had announced on Thursday that they were pulling out after one of their team members tested positive for coronavirus.
In a statement on its website on Thursday night, McLaren said the team member had self-isolated as soon as they started to show symptoms and would 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. The team is cooperating with the relevant local authorities to assist their investigations and analysis," the statement said.
It was first reported that three Formula One team members were placed into isolation while awaiting tests amid concerns they might have contracted the virus.
That number had since swelled to eight people being tested.
These, apart from the McLaren team member, came back negative late on Thursday night, however, a ninth case involving a member of an Australian-based Supercars team is pending.
This year's Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix has been called off, according to reports.CREDIT:AP
Before arriving in Melbourne, the McLaren team spent six days in Barcelona, testing its cars at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The global coronavirus outbreak was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on Thursday.
Earlier, Formula One racing champion Lewis Hamilton had lashed out at the decision to proceed with the grand prix.
"I am really very very surprised that we’re here," he said at a press conference on Thursday. "For me it is shocking that we are all sitting in this room."
On Thursday, Victoria's Health Minister Jenny Mikakos was insistent the grand prix would go ahead.
"We have not reached a point where we need to be saying the grand prix needs to be cancelled because we do not have a single case of community transmission in Victoria," she said.
"When we get to a point where we need to take extreme measures, we will not hesitate to do so."
Reuters, AP, Staff reporters
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/mot...oronavirus-tests-reports-20200313-p549mr.html
The decision was taken following a crisis two-hour summit involving F1's hierarchy, its governing body, the FIA, and a number of the sport's team principals in Melbourne, the BBC and Sky Television Association have reported.
Motorsport.com quoted sources saying a majority of the teams were unhappy to continue and the FIA would accept the decision.
The governing FIA and Liberty Media-owned Formula One had yet to make an official comment by early on Friday morning. The BBC reported that the decision was made about 2am on Friday.
As reports emerge of the grand prix being called off, Victoria Police has not been informed of a cancellation and will still begin its operation at the track on Friday morning.
By 7.20am, the state government and Australian Grand Prix Corporation were not able to confirm whether the event was going ahead.
Cars could be heard on track at Albert Park on Friday morning and track officials were reported to have received a message asking them to head to the track as usual.
The gates are scheduled to open to the public at 8.45am, with the first event of the day - a historic cars demonstration - listed for a 9.10am start. Other events scheduled at the track on Friday include two qualifying sessions and the first race for Supercars, and two Formula One practice sessions from 12pm-1.30pm and 4pm-5.30pm.
The reports come as the ATP Tour suspended men's tennis for six weeks among a raft of measures implemented by sports across the globe.
McLaren had announced on Thursday that they were pulling out after one of their team members tested positive for coronavirus.
In a statement on its website on Thursday night, McLaren said the team member had self-isolated as soon as they started to show symptoms and would 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. The team is cooperating with the relevant local authorities to assist their investigations and analysis," the statement said.
It was first reported that three Formula One team members were placed into isolation while awaiting tests amid concerns they might have contracted the virus.
That number had since swelled to eight people being tested.
These, apart from the McLaren team member, came back negative late on Thursday night, however, a ninth case involving a member of an Australian-based Supercars team is pending.
This year's Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix has been called off, according to reports.CREDIT:AP
Before arriving in Melbourne, the McLaren team spent six days in Barcelona, testing its cars at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The global coronavirus outbreak was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on Thursday.
Earlier, Formula One racing champion Lewis Hamilton had lashed out at the decision to proceed with the grand prix.
"I am really very very surprised that we’re here," he said at a press conference on Thursday. "For me it is shocking that we are all sitting in this room."
On Thursday, Victoria's Health Minister Jenny Mikakos was insistent the grand prix would go ahead.
"We have not reached a point where we need to be saying the grand prix needs to be cancelled because we do not have a single case of community transmission in Victoria," she said.
"When we get to a point where we need to take extreme measures, we will not hesitate to do so."
Reuters, AP, Staff reporters
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/mot...oronavirus-tests-reports-20200313-p549mr.html
