F1 will listen to the daily advice of health authorities and experts as they continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisation has said in a statement.
The statement, posted to the official F1 website promises that “the safety of our people is at all times paramount” as it continues to discuss measures around various grands prix as the virus continues to spread.
“Due to the fluid nature of the virus, F1 will continue to take a scientific approach to the situation, acting on daily advice from the official health authorities and the advice or measures each host promoter may enact,” the statement read.
“F1 has itself implemented a number of measures based upon advice from Public Health England, including the suspension of all non-essential travel.
“Dedicated teams of experts will be deployed at airports, transit points and at circuits to safeguard personnel, focused on the diagnosis, management and extraction of suspected cases. Bespoke quarantine points are being installed by promoters for any suspected cases.”
As to whether any more races will join the Chinese Grand Prix in being postponed, F1 offered no further insight, even as the Bahrain GP has shut its doors to the general public, Vietnam has enacted extensive travel restrictions, and the entire country of Italy is now under lockdown.
In any case, F1 is now just days away from its season opener — set to go ahead as normal — in Melbourne, Australia.