McLaren withdraws from the Australian Grand Prix
The Woking team has decided not to participate in the Melbourne Grand Prix following the discovery of a coronavirus case among its employees.
It is through an official statement posted on the team’s Twitter account that we learn McLaren will not participate in the first Grand Prix of the season. The threat of contamination had already been looming over the paddock in recent days, and it is the team led by Zak Brown that is affected. Several employees from Haas had been tested in recent days, tests which ultimately turned out negative.
« This decision was made for the well-being not only of McLaren F1 employees and its partners, but also for that of its rivals, F1 fans, and all of its participants », McLaren stated in its press release.
The situation in Melbourne was already tense, but it is getting more complicated less than 24 hours before the start of Free Practice 1. Indeed, Ross Brawn announced last week that if a team could not start the race, it would be canceled or it would not count for the world championship.
If this first case affecting McLaren forces the team to withdraw from this first race of the season, the Vietnam Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday, April 5, also seems to be in limbo. Like other sports competitions around the world, the Formula 1 championship is also at risk of being disrupted by the coronavirus epidemic.
