Australia is doing everything it can to limit the spread of the coronavirus as much as possible and for that reason its borders have been closed since March. Until a vaccination program is in place, it is unlikely that borders will open without a mandatory fourteen-day quarantine. Motorsport.com has learned, however, that there are plans to set up an F1 biosphere in Melbourne for the Australian GP, scheduled for March. This should prevent the teams, drivers and F1 staff from having to be quarantined in a hotel for the opening race of the 2021 season.
In such a biosphere, the F1 staff is limited to movements between the chosen hotels and the paddock. People who join the bubble will still have to quarantine for 14 days after the event ends before they can freely access the rest of Australia. This point applies especially to personnel from Australia, including those of organizer Australian Grand Prix Corporation and volunteer race officials. Governing body Motorsport Australia has therefore begun to search for these so-called ‘Profile 1’ officials, who must be quarantined for four days prior to the event and must test negative for the coronavirus in order to enter the bubble. It concerns 25 to 75 officials.
Biosphere appears essential to continue GP Australia
The remainder of the approximately 1000 officials belong to ‘Profile 2’ and mainly work for the series in the side program or are, for example, active as a marshal. They are outside the bubble and operate outside the F1 paddock. Michael Smith, CEO of Motorsport Australia, emphasizes that no decisions have been made yet, but looking for officials who are willing to quarantine is essential to keep the Australian GP going. “It will be a completely different event than what we are used to. The FIA has some strict rules around corona and we have to fit in. Formula 1 has actually created a bubble and we have to find a way to get local officials into that bubble, ”Smith said. Motorsport.com.
In addition, Motorsport Australia is looking at its own measures with the state of Victoria, whereby a fourteen-day quarantine for the F1 staff is not excluded. “We are currently working with our team of officials to look at how we can ensure that the event can go ahead and to see which officials should and should not be in the bubble,” Smith continued. number. It comes down to a maximum of 75 men, but depending on how we structure it, it can also be 25 to 30 men. The people who work in crowded areas such as the F1 pits, the paddock and the race management must be so-called ‘Profile 1’ officials. We have to look at drawing up alternative agreements for them. ”
Should Motorsport Australia decide to introduce an F1 biosphere, it will not be the first time this setup has been introduced. This weekend, Formula 1 will get a taste of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The staff flew from Bahrain to Abu Dhabi on charter aircraft on Monday and are only allowed to move between the selected hotels and the paddock on the track. In fact, it is a tightening of the bubble rules that have been in place since the start of the F1 season in July.
