Official – The Australian Grand Prix is finally canceled

The decision came last night, following McLaren’s withdrawal due to a coronavirus case, the FIA has decided to cancel the Australian Grand Prix. We will have to wait a bit longer to see the cars return to the track.

The cancellation of the first Grand Prix of the season seemed inevitable in light of recent events. Despite the efforts of various Formula 1 stakeholders to start the 2020-2021 season as planned, the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic ultimately led to the cancellation of the first Australian event.

Upon their arrival in Australia, some stable employees, notably from Haas and Renault, had been tested by health authorities. While these initial tests had come back negative, new tests revealed today that a McLaren team employee was affected by the virus. He self-isolated as soon as he started to show symptoms and will now be treated by local health authorities, the team specified in its statement.

The team subsequently decided to withdraw its two cars: « Their decision was made based on a duty of care, not only towards McLaren F1 employees and partners but also towards the team’s competitors, Formula 1 fans, and other F1 stakeholders. » stated Zak Brown and Andrés Seidl, McLaren’s president and director, respectively.

Between imbroglio and fiasco, this last-minute cancellation brings back a painful memory for Formula 1; that of Indianapolis 2005. During that mock race, only six cars were able to line up on the grid. This weekend there will be no race, but what will be remembered is the FIA’s lack of responsiveness in a crisis situation. Indeed, this cancellation occurs only an hour and a half before the start of free practice 1.

The first to have made a real decision were the organizers of the Chinese Grand Prix, which was supposed to take place at the Shanghai circuit on the weekend of April 19, 2020. Indeed, the Chinese authorities had recommended canceling or postponing all sporting events in order to curb the spread of the virus.

Today the question will be whether the next Grand Prix will take place, if the next race in Bahrain should be held behind closed doors, it’s not certain that the teams will make the trip if they don’t have the assurance of the Grand Prix taking place.

For their part, the officials and organizers of the Vietnam Grand Prix have still not communicated whether the event will take place or not.