MELBOURNE, Australia – FIA and Formula One officials have announced that the Australian Grand Prix will not take place this weekend as originally planned due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The event cancellation comes after a member of the McLaren team tested positive for the for the coronavirus. McLaren withdrew from the Australian Grand Prix overnight in Australia as a result.
Following the revelation that a member of the McLaren team had tested positive for the virus, Formula One and the FIA convened a meeting of the other nine team principals on Thursday evening to discuss what should be done moving forward. The decision was then made to cancel the event early Friday morning in Australia.
Below is the full statement from the FIA and Formula One officials regarding the cancellation:
“Following the confirmation that a member of the McLaren Racing Team has tested positive for COVID-19 and the team’s decision to withdraw from the Australian Grand Prix, Formula 1 and the FIA convened a meeting of the other nine team principals on Thursday evening. Those discussions concluded with a majority view of the teams that the race should not go ahead.
“Formula One and the FIA, with the full support of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) have therefore taken the decision that all Formula 1 activity for the Australian Grand Prix are cancelled.
“We appreciate this is very disappointing news for the thousands of fans due to attend the race and all ticket holders will receive a full refund and a further announcement will be communicated in due course.
“All parties took into consideration the huge efforts of the AGPC, Motorsport Australia, staff and volunteers to stage the opening round of the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship in Melbourne, however concluded that the safety of all members of the Formula One family and the wider community, as well as the fairness of the competition take priority.”
Moments before the announcement that the race had been canceled, Mercedes announced it would also be withdrawing from the race, citing safety and health concerns for its employees.
“We empathize strongly with the worsening situation in Europe, most especially in Italy, and furthermore we do not feel it would be right to participate in an event where fellow competitors such as McLaren are unable to do so through circumstances beyond their control,” Mercedes’ statement said. “Our team will therefore begin pack-up preparations at the circuit this morning.”