Poll: Australian Grand Prix 2020, Melbourne - Race 1/22

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Soldato
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Oh dear...

Vietnam may not be going ahead, and it's place on the calendar may be taken by a second race at Bahrain... Oh joy... :rolleyes:

https://www.gptoday.net/en/news/f1/254586/possibility-of-two-races-in-bahrain-being-explored
I'm actually hoping it doesn't go ahead so I definetly don't go there. I booked tickets and flights to there for me and my friends and I stressed to them already how this is a serious virus but they laugh it off as a cold/flu.

I'm going to notify them by the end of the week that I will not go and they are of course happy to go without me if it still goes ahead.

That's why I'm praying it doesn't. So we all stay here safe and if we catch the virus here, better to be quarantined here in the UK hospital or at our own home then over there in Vietnam
 
Soldato
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Vietnam may not be going ahead, and it's place on the calendar may be taken by a second race at Bahrain..

I wish they'd take the opportunity to do something off-the-wall and different like racing on ice or the Utah salt flats or something, depending upon the time of year.
 
Soldato
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I wish they'd take the opportunity to do something off-the-wall and different like racing on ice or the Utah salt flats or something, depending upon the time of year.
Frankly I don't think they'll be going far. Melbourne still doesn't look certain (even though they're already there!), Bahrain will have no spectators, Vietnam looks increasingly unlikely and other than that the rest of the championship is completely up in the air.

The situation is evolving daily, and Trump closing the door to most of Europe for a month at minimum means no chance that there'll be a one-off on the Utah salt flats anytime soon.

It's not beyond the realms of possibility that there'll be a few non-championship races in the next few months (or a hastily revised, and probably shortened, championship schedule) but as things stand it's hard to see any races after the first two until after the summer break.

Unless the situation starts improving soon (and outside of areas of China nowhere is) I cant see any of the upcoming European races being realistic. The sketchy reports of higher temperatures slowing the spread may prove true, but it's not exactly cold in Australia or Bahrain at the moment, and it's done nothing to allay their fears.

Every other sport is taking precautions. Football stadiums are closed to fans, the NBA championship has been suspended, Six Nations too. Big measures. F1's approach is pretty much crossing their fingers and trying to hop and skip its way through with a few minor alterations.
 
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Man of Honour
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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40,068
So we know that the race will be cancelled now.

Depends. When it looked like Ferrari were going to be the team affected, Liberty said that if a team couldn't compete the race wouldn't go ahead, but it's McLaren that's affected, so who knows.

May be some slight sarcasm here...
 
Caporegime
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As much as I wanted the race to go ahead it shouldn’t have. The FIA stated previously that if one team can’t attend they’ll cancel the GP. Will they see this as McLaren voluntarily withdrawing? Will Alpha Tauri do the same as some of their staff are symptomatic as well?
 
Soldato
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Yep, GJ Liberty. Pushing ahead with this. Instead of cancelling in advance and preventing thousands of people travelling literally half way around the planet to spread the disease further, you've now gone ahead and made the situation even worse.

I wonder how many other F1 staff were on the plane with the McLaren staffer who's got it.

Will they see this as McLaren voluntarily withdrawing? Will Alpha Tauri do the same as some of their staff are symptomatic as well?
Haas too.
 
Soldato
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Even if F1 wanted the weekend to continue without McLaren I doubt they will have a choice. Surely the Melbourne authorities won't allow the event to continue now.

As for Renault being happy, I seriously doubt that. They have employees working with McLaren, and while every team wants to beat each other (obviously) no one would want to win because of a team withdrawing for any reason, let alone through health issues.
 
Soldato
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As for Renault being happy, I seriously doubt that.

I was only joking as it seems they're unable to beat their own engine within another team. The event needs to be cancelled. I'll be gutted as I am desperate for the season to start but putting my selfishness aside for a moment, it shouldn't go ahead.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Jun 2013
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9,315
There will always be a few of the smaller teams who will want to race as it's a chance to get wins and prize money that they would never otherwise get near. Of course the whole sport is a machine for making money, so there will be a lot of vested interests (promoters, TV, circuits, sponsors, etc) who would like it to go ahead regardless.
 
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