FORMULA One chiefs have secretly assured teams that the first THREE races of the season will go ahead – despite fears over the coronavirus.
Organisers have reportedly revealed that the season opener in Melbourne, Australia will take place on March 15 – via secret notes to each other.
Lewis Hamilton is set to defend his F1 title in Melbourne despite coronavirus fearsCredit: USA TODAY Sports
The rounds in Bahrain a week later and Vietnam in April will also be staged – despite being right at the very heart of the outbreak and close to China, the epicentre.
The China GP in April has already been postponed.
Ferrari and AplhaTauri have closed their factories in northern Italy due to the rapid spread of coronavirus in the country – the worst in Europe.
But according to the Daily Mail, F1 organisers will not cancel the races that were thought to be most under threat from spreading the disease.
They claim a note sent by F1’s owners, Liberty Media, said: “Those travelling to Bahrain from Italy will be subject to travel restrictions.
“On arrival those individuals will be met from their flights by a dedicated team who will escort them to a specifically created lounge, where a team of doctors will test for the virus in a process that takes approximately three hours.”
The Australian authorities are screening all those who come into the country from infected countries.
The highest fears are over the Vietnam GP in April as it borders China where nearly 3000 people have died of the bug.
F1 chiefs are happy with this race at present as there have been no new cases in China for ten days.
They will continue to monitor the situation, however.
In the notes, F1 chiefs said: “Based on current expert and national government positions we will be heading to Melbourne as scheduled and the season will continue as planned, other than for the China postponement.”
China has already put back the start of its football season and Japan have postponed its J-League until March.
Football was also hit in Italy, where Serie A matches were called off last weekend and Inter Milan played their Europa League tie behind closed doors.
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Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
