The Australian F1 Grand Prix is set to be cancelled for the second year in a row due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
An official announcement will be given on Tuesday afternoon but reports have emerged the race which was due to kick off in Melbourne in November will not be going ahead.
The event had already been pushed back from March this year due to Covid restrictions with the MotoGP in Phillip Island scheduled for October also expected to be cancelled.
The Australian F1 Grand Prix is set to be cancelled for the second year in a row due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
F1 officials reportedly asked the Victorian Government if drivers and team members could be put into a strict quarantine bubble instead of having to complete the mandatory two-week stint in hotels due to racing schedules (pictured is Formula One star driver Lewis Hamilton)
The multi-million dollar event is held each year at Melbourne’s Albert Park drawing in massive crowds.
F1 officials reportedly asked the Victorian Government if drivers and team members could be put into a strict quarantine bubble instead of having to complete the mandatory two-week stint in hotels due to racing schedules.
While tennis stars playing in the Australian Open completed their hotel quarantine stay, the fortnight of isolation wasn’t possible for the Melbourne Grand Prix due to F1 races scheduled in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi for December.
The Brazilian Grand Prix is also set to begin two weeks before the Melbourne event was planned, creating further tension over quarantine procedures.
The multi-million dollar event is held each year at Melbourne’s Albert Park drawing in massive crowds
Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo is seen at an Australian Grand Prix event in 2018 with Nikki Phillips
Businessman Richard Branson is seen at the 2009 Grand Prix in Melbourne
It comes as Victoria recorded its sixth consecutive day of zero locally acquired Covid cases.
Premier Daniel Andrews refused to confirm whether or not the event had been canceled during a press conference on Tuesday but said it would be difficult due to caps on overseas travellers and low vaccination rates.
‘Running big international events is very, very challenging,’ he said.
‘Some things are possible in a pandemic, but some things aren’t.
‘We have to do everything we can to safeguard not bringing the virus in.’
Last year’s event was cancelled on the morning of the first day – creating chaos for drivers and the thousands of fans who turned up.
The news of the cancellation has frustrated many Formula One fans with some questioning why it was canned with such few active Covid cases.
Last year’s event was cancelled on the morning of the first day – creating chaos for drivers and the thousands of fans who turned up (pictured the Grand Prix in Melbourne in 2018)
‘The 2021 Grand Prix in Melbourne has been cancelled – with 25 active cases in the state, what is the reasoning behind this thoughtless move? We need answers from this ruthless state government!’ one fan tweeted.
‘Sad but not totally unexpected. The feds have totally botched the vaccine rollout,’ another said.
‘If the Australian Grand Prix is canceled, it’s on the Federal Government for not getting the vaccination and quarantine in order,’ said one.
Minister for sport Martin Pakula and Andrew Westacott, the CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation will make an announcement at 3pm on Tuesday.
The news of the cancellation has frustrated many Formula 1 fans with some questioning why it was canned with such few active Covid cases (pictured Lewis Hamilton at the 2019 Grand Prix)