Brawn: "I think we did a pretty good job of reaching the right conclusion"

F1 News

13 March 2020 at 07:42
  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Ross Brawn believes he and Formula 1 handled the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix well given the situation. For around 12 hours following the news that McLaren would withdraw from the race due to a team member testing positive, F1 remained quiet. 

Eventually, fans were queuing up outside the turnstiles waiting to enter Albert Park circuit. The schedule of on-track events had started, despite most mainstream media outlets reporting that the event had been cancelled. Brawn, F1's motorsports boss, explains what was going on during the 12 hours of silence. 

Big discussion

“There was consultation with the teams, the medical authorities, the FIA and the promoters here. I’ve been up all night. We had so many issues to work through. We had to get the teams together again and hold a meeting. It all takes time," Brawn said on the official Formula 1 website. 

“It’s not a total autocracy as in we just can’t make a decision. We have so many factors to take into account. I think we did a pretty good job of reaching the right conclusion with so many stakeholders involved. We’re talking to the FIA, which is in Europe on a Europe timezone, and we had to speak to [FIA President] Jean Todt.

“[F1 CEO] Chase [Carey] unfortunately was in the air, flying between Vietnam and here. So it was a pretty stressful period. Considering we dealt with everything in 12 hours, for something that important, was good.”