2020 Australian Grand Prix Cancelled

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), together with the Formula 1 Group, the organizer of the Formula 1 World Championship, and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC), the organizer of the Australian Grand Prix, have cancelled the 2020 Australian Grand Prix, which was scheduled to start today!

The race was cancelled following a discussion will all nine team principals "that the race should not go ahead." The joint statement follows after McLaren announced that it has pulled out of the race after one of its team members tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Pity the ticket-holders who had to fly in and book hotel rooms for the now-cancelled race!

The official statement is as follows:

"Following the confirmation that a member of the McLaren Racing Team has tested positive for COVID-19 and the team’s decision to withdraw from the Australian Grand Prix, the FIA and Formula 1 convened a meeting of the other nine team principals on Thursday evening. Those discussions concluded with a majority view of the teams that the race should not go ahead. The FIA and Formula 1, with the full support of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) have therefore taken the decision that all Formula 1 activity for the Australian Grand Prix is cancelled.

"We appreciate this is very disappointing news for the thousands of fans due to attend the race and all ticket holders will receive a full refund and a further announcement will be communicated in due course.

"All parties took into consideration the huge efforts of the AGPC, Motorsport Australia, staff and volunteers to stage the opening round of the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship in Melbourne, however concluded that the safety of all members of the Formula 1 family and the wider community, as well as the fairness of the competition take priority."