McLaren Declares Strict Safety Policy In the Wake Of Coronavirus Spread

The McLaren team is going to implement strict safety policies in the wake of the threat posed by the spread coronavirus.

The team has declared that no person who has been to China in the last fourteen days will be given access to the motor-home.

McLaren is currently testing the MCL35 in Barcelona, and they are the first ones to implement such barring protocols.

Considering the Chinese Grand Prix had to be postponed because of the dangers posed by the coronavirus outbreak, McLaren is taking necessary measures to safeguard its staff.

McLaren was clarifying their position after they denied a Chinese journalist access to their motor-home.

The McLaren Team Chief Executive Zak Brown said McLaren and the F1 would never intentionally put a staff member in danger.

He added that McLaren was following the health guidelines given by the World Health Organization and the UK government trending alerts concerning the coronavirus threat.

Brown also claimed people who traveled from china would not be able to access to a McLaren operated building for fourteen days as a precautionary measure.

McLaren will enforce its policy even at the team's headquarters in Woking.

All McLaren staff traveling to the Australia Grand Prix via Hong Kong will get alternative traveling routes. The move is a reflection of what the Mercedes team did for its staff.

Vietnam, which was set to host their first F1 event in Hanoi on 5th April, last week had 16 reported coronavirus cases. Ten thousand people from the Son Loi farming area have been placed in quarantine.

San Loi is only twenty-five miles away from Hanoi. Universities and schools in Vietnam remained closed until 29th February.

In the pre-season testing, Lewis Hamilton picked up from where he left off in 2019 by putting in a dominant quick run at Circuit De Catalunya.

Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas put in the fastest morning run but was four-tenths behind Hamilton's afternoon lap.

Hamilton completed ninety-four laps with a best time of 1 min 16.976 sec. Racing Point's driver Sergio Perez came in third, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen placed fourth.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was ill and was replaced by teammate Leclerc who placed an uncharacteristic eleventh.

The Williams team was quite eager to have a good test practice this year, considering they missed two days of training the previous year.

George Russel, one of the team drivers, did seventy-three laps and came in the sixth position.