Three Formula 1 Staff Quarantined As Concerns Grow Over Australian GP

Three Formula 1 team members have been quarantined following concerns they may have been infected with the coronavirus. It is after the decision to go ahead with the Australian Grand Prix came under fire.

The three team members are from Haas and McLaren teams and were evaluated at the Melbourne circuit isolation unit. It was established after they started exhibiting symptoms of fever at the track.

They have since been tested for the virus and placed under self-isolation at their different hotels.

There is already growing concern about going ahead with the Grand Prix, considering it could prove to be a flashpoint from which the virus would spread quickly to other places in the world. Quarantines have already been set up in major cities globally, following the concerns of the virus.

Depending on the results of the tests done on the team members, the situation is expected to develop quite rapidly. The Grand Prix Driver’s association is apparently in touch with all of the drivers on the grid to communicate their worries with Formula 1 and the FIA.

If the team members are proven to have the virus, there will be a lot of pressure on F1 and the FIA to react appropriately and deliberate on canceling the race. Both bodies have taken a stance toward monitoring the situation as it continues to develop.

However, the decision is left to race promoters, as well as, the state governing bodies on whether to continue.

The potential threat from the virus is also ruffling the feathers of the health workers in Melbourne. One of the Melbourne based GPs, Mariam Tokhi, claimed he is not privy to the economic considerations, but there is concern they are putting Melbourne at risk by going ahead with the race.

A spokesperson for the Victorian government claimed they would be monitoring the situation though they did not confirm closure of the event. Allegedly, several people are being tested for Covid-19 in Victoria every day.

Earlier on Wednesday, the words ‘Stop F1’ was visible in the skies above Sydney, considering the calls to stop the season-opening race on March 15.

F1 organizers have already postponed the Chinese Grand Prix, which is the third race of the season, and scheduled for April 5. The Bahrain authorities also declared that fans would be barred from the second round of the season, which is on March 22.