FORMULA ONE chief Ross Brawn says Grands Prix will be scrapped if any team is denied entry to a country.
The spread of the deadly coronavirus is playing havoc with plans for the season-opener in Melbourne on March 15.
Ross Brawn has revealed F1 races will be cancelled if teams are denied entry to any country over coronavirus fearsCredit: Reuters
More Grands Prix could be scrapped due to the deadly bugCredit: Reuters
The Chinese Grand Prix has already been postponed but the biggest issue is teams getting to those races in the first place.
Brawn said: “If a team is prevented from entering a country we can’t have a race.
“Not a Formula One world championship race, anyway, because that would be unfair.
“Obviously if a team makes its own choice not to go to a race, that’s their decision.
“But where a team is prevented from going to a race because of a decision of the country then it’s difficult to have a fair competition.”
Teams have been forced to reroute staff through the Middle East rather than through the Asian hubs of Hong Kong and Singapore.
The logistic nightmare is also costing teams a fortune, with some paying sky-high prices for direct flights to Oz.
The worst affected are the teams based in Italy, which has seen Europe’s largest outbreak.
Ferrari, AlphaTauri and tyre-suppliers, Pirelli, all face an anxious wait to see if they are allowed entry on arrival in Melbourne, Bahrain and Vietnam.
On Tuesday, Bahrain clarified that those who had visited certain countries within the last 14 days would face restrictions.
That list includes Italy, Hong Kong and Singapore, meaning they would not be allowed into the country.
The organisers of the Bahrain GP are working with F1 to ensure that special measures are given to those affected by the travel ban.
Brawn said F1 would also look to “minimise the number of people in the paddock” at races, while also said that talks are ongoing with Vietnam about plans for that race.
He added: “They want the race to happen but also they’ve got to protect their population.
“So we’re looking at what solutions we can find to make sure everybody is comfortable with the arrangements.
“There’s a lot of things going on at the moment and it changes on a day-by-day basis. It’s difficult to be definitive now but we’re going to find solutions.”
Coronavirus will kill Brits warns medical chief as NHS declares highest level of emergency
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
