Scuderia Ferrari May be Forced to Pull Out of Australian Grand Prix

Clearly, the coronavirus wave has had every F1 team spooked. However, Scuderia Ferrari is possibly the worst affected, since the virus has broken out in Italy. It even got to a stage where the Maranello team had to bar the public from entering.

A new headache has popped up now, in the form of travel restrictions. In other words, Scuderia Ferrari’s participation at the Australian Grand Prix is in doubt. If some personnel have been barred, Ferrari may not be in a position to race.

The Italian giant revealed that they are seeking assurances that the staff will not be quarantined ahead of the race weekend. The situation in Italy is so dire that several sporting events have been affected. This includes several Serie A and European football fixtures, as well as Italy’s Six Nations’ rugby match against Ireland.

The team also had trouble getting staff members to Bahrain for the F2 test. The test already has one driver missing it due to a quarantine in Tenerife.  In light of all these issuees, Ferrari need assurance that their staff can travel to Australia.

What have Ferrari said on the matter?

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Mattia Binotto said, “What we will need is simply to have assurance before leaving. If there are any medical screenings, we need to know about them. You need to know exactly what’s about. We need to understand what are the consequences in case of any problem.”

He stressed on the need to protect the Ferrari employees. This is because the Italian marquee is responsible for their safety. In addition to that, they know that it is important to have a clear picture of what is happening.

According to Binotto, Ferrari, Haas, Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri could be sorely affected. This is largely due to the Italian presence in those four teams. Ferrari provides power units to Haas and Alfa Romeo, while AlphaTauri is also based in Italy.

This is why  F1 and the Victorian government hope that everything runs smoothly.