CONFIRMED: Australian Grand Prix is cancelled due to coronavirus!
Breaking News
Formula 1's Australian Grand Prix is cancelled. After a day of confused and mixed messages, F1 have confirmed the news themselves. McLaren were the first team to withdraw from the race after a member of their team tested positive for the coronavirus.
Following the latest developments, the Australian Grand Prix weekend which was due to get underway on Friday has been cancelled.
It’s unconfirmed whether the ban will also cover the Bahrain Grand Prix and Vietnam Grand Prix. As it stands, the Bahrain Grand Prix will be raced behind closed doors.
In February, Formula 1 postponed the Chinese Grand Prix due to the outbreak. No replacement date has been sorted for this event.
Formula 1 and the FIA, with the full support of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC), have taken the decision that all Formula 1 activity for the Australian Grand Prix is cancelled pic.twitter.com/rHbc7hlNvH
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 12, 2020
The full statement from the Formula 1 read:
"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 1 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 1 family and the wider community, as well as the fairness of the competition take priority."