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Despite Major Scare, Australian Grand Prix Promoters Definite to Not Go the Bahrain Way

Published 03/09/2020, 2:29 PM EDT

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Earlier, this week, the Bahrain Grand Prix officials announced that the race will go ahead without any spectators. However, the Australian GP will not follow that example, so it will be business as usual. Backing this up, is the fact that the Italian teams have already arrived in the country.

A cording to Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott, the race will proceed without any hindrance. The F1 calendar has already witness a number of changes, including the postponement of the Chinese Grand Prix.

The alarming spread of the pandemic raised a lot of questions about the Australian GP’s ability to host a race. However, Westacott was adamant that Melbourne will not deprive fans of a chance to enjoy the race.

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Speaking to SEN, Westacott declared, “Not a chance. When you look at 86,000 at the MCG last night, and the footy the week after, we’ve got to go around things sensibly and keep moving on through life while taking the necessary precautions.”

“The interesting thing is the Italian freight. The Alpha Tauri cars and the Ferrari cars are on their way from Avalon [airport] as we speak, so it’s really good. The key personnel are on their planes.?

“Interestingly, the only two people who didn’t hail from Italy were Sebastian Vettel, who came out of Switzerland, and Charles Leclerc coming out of Monaco via Nice. All the others are on their way, and we’re expecting [them] in the next 12 to 24 hours.”

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Things are looking up for the Australian GP

Australians can breathe a sigh of relief, as health minister, Jenny Mikakos confirmed that no more reported cases have cropped up. This is especially true for the Victoria region, where the track is located, so the grand prix can go ahead.

Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton assured that the city and country will be ready, just in case. He said. “Make no mistake, we will hit the button on the things that are required for social distancing at the point they’re required.”

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Last week the Australian government introduced enhanced screening measures to prevent the country from being affected. However, an outright travel ban was never on the agenda, unlike China, Iran and South Korea.

As a result, team mechanics and staff have undergone rigorous checks before they arrive in the country. For now, the Australian GP will go ahead without a hitch.

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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