Australian Grand Prix set to be postponed
The Australian Grand Prix is set to be postponed, with officials expecting more details on the F1 season-opener within days.
Victoria
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The Australian Grand Prix looks set to be shifted to the end of the year, with officials expecting an announcement as early as next week.
While the state government and Australian Grand Prix Corporation remained tight-lipped on Friday night, the bombshell news was revealed in an overseas interview by the owner of Formula One team Aston Martin.
The short-term future of the Grand Prix at Albert Park Lake has been up in the air, with major concerns about the logistics of bringing teams to the circuit for the traditional season-opening race given the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year’s race was cancelled mid-event as the coronavirus started to take hold in Australia and a McLaren Racing team staff member returned a positive coronavirus test.
Details of an end-of-year race — likely to be in November — in Australia are still being hammered out between the state government, race organisers and the world F1 governing body.
It is understood senior figures in Australian motor racing have been told to expect an official announcement this week that the Grand Prix will be delayed.
An Australian Grand Prix Corporation spokeswoman said further details would be available in coming weeks.
“The Australian Grand Prix Corporation continues to work closely with the Victorian government and Formula One on conditions and arrangements relating to the staging of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in 2021,” she said.
“Further detail will be provided upon finalisation of arrangements with all parties in the coming weeks.”
Speculation has mounted the event was set to be postponed over the past week after reports organisers could not come to an agreement over coronavirus arrangements.
A key issue was the length of quarantine required, with drivers and teams reluctant to agree to the government-mandated 14 days of isolation.
On Friday, Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll told Reuters the new season would now start in Bahrain rather than Melbourne, as was originally scheduled.
“Melbourne has been — it’s not officially announced but it will be — not cancelled but postponed,” Stroll said.
He suggested the Australian Grand Prix would now be held sometime in spring rather than March 21 because of current COVID-19-enforced travel restrictions.
A winter August date for the Melbourne race had been mooted earlier this week.
However, Stroll’s southern hemisphere spring prediction means a date between September and November is more likely.
The Bahrain race is currently set to take place on March 28 as part of a 23-race schedule.
F1 great Alan Jones, one of just two Australians to have won the World Drivers’ Championship, this week said: “Obviously if we can’t have the first one, which would be ideal, then any one is better than nothing.
“They all love coming to Australia. We always put on a bloody good show.
“It’s a great circuit so I’d be welcoming it no matter what month it was.”
At the 2020 Australian Grand Prix last March, organisers at the front gate sent thousands of fans homes just hours before the event was due to start.
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