F1 | Australian GP looks set to be postponed but not cancelled
Recent statements from Victorian government officials indicate that the Australian GP will be postponed - making Bahrain the season-opener.
In 2020, the Australian Grand Prix was unforgettably cancelled at the last minute on the day of Free Practice One with race goers waiting at the Albert Park gates. Now, a year later, the Grand Prix which is traditionally scheduled as the season opener is at risk once again. Thankfully, this time around, the race is most likely going to be postponed as opposed to cancelled. So, there is some hope for fans eager to see the pinnacle of motorsport in Melbourne…just no one is sure when it will be.
"In 2020, we proved that we could return to racing safely and delivered what many thought was impossible in March," an F1 spokesman told Reuters. "We have set out our 2021 calendar and look forward to the return of F1 in March this year." Whereas previously the plan had been for F1’s return to be in Melbourne on March 21st, the more likely outcome will be that Bahrain takes center stage as the season-opener.
The Bahrain Grand Prix is already scheduled for March 28th so will still see the widely advertised ‘return of F1 in March this year’ come to pass.
Such speculation has arisen following several statements recently released on the issue, following the Australian Open already being pushed back into February from its original month of January.
A statement released by the Victorian government this past Tuesday confirmed nothing is set in stone:
"Discussions between the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, the government and Formula One management about the Formula One calendar for 2021 are ongoing," a government spokesman told the media.
"As part of those discussions, the government will continue to prioritise public health considerations while protecting our major events calendar."
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all corners of the globe and Australia is no exception. There are currently 279 active cases estimated in Australia, while there have been 909 total deaths reported resulting from COVID-19. There had been hope that the state of Victoria had turned a corner having experienced a two-month period without a locally acquired case. However, in the past week, this period has come to an end following a new community transmission of COVID-19 being announced.
As previously mentioned, the tennis world has already been impacted in 2021 by COVID-19 as the Australian Open has been pushed back into February 8th. However, this has not been possible without the strictest of requirements being imposed on participants.
Upon their arrival to Melbourne later this month, more than 1000 Australian Open tennis players and officials will undergo a mandatory two-week quarantine. The Australian website theage.com which features breaking news about the state of Victoria published:
“Tennis Australia had to submit detailed quarantine plans to Victorian health authorities and, after months of intricate negotiations, the green light was eventually given to an Australian Open delayed by three weeks…Crucially, tennis players have secured the opportunity to practise during a daily five-hour block away from their hotel during their quarantine.”
The question of quarantine is central to any negotiations being had between Australian GP organisers and Victorian government officials. Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville said it was too early to make any announcements but confirmed that the question of whether F1 personnel were "willing to quarantine" is key to any Australian Grand Prix being permitted.
“We’re still away from being in that position. It’s still now looking at ‘how would quarantine work, whether they’re willing to quarantine and where they’d quarantine, how it would be done, when it would be done'. All those discussions are under way," Neville said. “It’s really too early to make any announcements about how it would be done. We will as soon as we make any decisions about it.”
This year, all parties are eager to ensure there is no repeat of the scenes witnessed in 2020.
The images of Formula One fans being turned away from the gate mere hours before Free Practice 1 will stay with F1 for many years. There were many critics at the time saying that Liberty Media and FOM (Formula One Management) should have made a decision much sooner with the organisers at a time when the world was already feeling the force of COVID-19. Therefore, in 2021, it is little wonder that so many plans are already being developed three months ahead of time.
Meanwhile, motorsport.com has reported on the fact that:
“The emergence of a new strain of COVID-19 has led to soaring cases numbers in the UK - where seven of F1's 10 teams are based - and prompted a clampdown from many countries on flights to and from Great Britain.”
Australian Grand Prix organisers also reiterated the government's stance in a statement that "public health considerations" were paramount:
"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…Further detail will be provided upon finalisation of arrangements with all parties in the coming weeks."
These comments in January are a far cry from the confidence shown back in November 2020 by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief executive Andrew Westacott:
"We have all put in the hard yards over winter to hopefully allow us to kick-start the economy, not just from a tourism and hospitality point of view but also a major-events perspective," he said. "We are the third of the big summer events, the Boxing Day cricket, the Australian Open tennis and then the grand prix and that's where Melbourne needs to shine."
Whenever the Australian Grand Prix does return it Is likely to do so at a reconfigured Albert Park circuit in front of a reduced crowd of up to 50,000 people. Melbourne’s time to showcase Formula One will hopefully come in 2021 but now all eyes are on Bahrain.
The question that should now be asked is will we get another double-header under the lights? If so, that really would be a special ‘return of F1 in March this year’.
