Report: Australian Grand Prix cancelled because of Covid-19

The Australian F1 Grand Prix has reportedly been cancelled because of Covid-19.

Multiple reports emerged on Tuesday morning saying the race — which had been scheduled to take place in Melbourne in late November — had been canned.

An official announcement is expected this afternoon confirming the F1 grand prix, as well as the MotoGP event at Phillip Island, will not go ahead.

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The Australian Grand Prix usually signals the start of the F1 season but was cancelled last year as the global pandemic hit, and was postponed from March until later in the year in 2021.

Unfortunately, the latest news means F1 fans Down Under won’t get their chance to see hometown hero Daniel Ricciardo in action in the flesh.

Broadcaster Shane McInnes tweeted: “Massive to loss to concede the F1 Grand Prix for a second straight year. The economic impact & Melbourne’s sporting prowess takes a huge hit.

“The Vic Gov’t MUST do all it can to ensure the #AusOpen goes ahead. Failure to do so, and kiss the title of sporting capital goodbye.”

Technology commentator Trevor Long added: “Sad news for Aussies who have worked so hard to make a Covid safe country, but also a sad reflection of how far behind Australia now is in the post-Covid new normal. Gutted.”

Melbourne-based reporter Matt Thompson said it was a “sad day for our city and our country”, and the cancellation was “symbolic of how far behind the rest of the world we’ve somehow fallen”.

According to reports, talks about accommodating drivers arriving from overseas in a quarantine hub broke down, with the complicated logistics around organising sufficient quarantine arrangements eventually leaving no option but to cancel the grand prix.

International arrivals into Australia need to quarantine for two weeks, but that wasn’t feasible for F1 stars and the huge teams of workers that would be joining them.

Whereas tennis stars did two weeks of hotel quarantine ahead of this year’s Australian Open, that wasn’t possible within F1 because it would derail the rest of the season, with races scheduled in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi for December.

The Brazilian Grand Prix is also scheduled for two weeks before the Australian Grand Prix on the F1 calendar, adding to the logistical nightmare of organising quarantine for everyone involved.

Various parts of Australia have been hit with an uptick in Covid-19 cases recently. NSW residents are anxiously waiting to hear today’s infection figures, which could determine whether Greater Sydney will exit lockdown as planned, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian warning the coming days would “critical”.

Meanwhile, Queensland recorded just one new locally acquired Covid-19 case in the past 24 hours. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said today’s announcement was “good news” and thanked Queenslanders for their hard work during this period.

The Federal Government has been widely criticised for its handling of the vaccine rollout, with Australia’s vaccination rate moving along at a snail’s pace.

There was also confusion last week when Prime Minister Scott Morrison said people under the age of 40 were eligible to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, only for that advice to be trashed by some state governments, who claimed there had been no agreement formulated in national cabinet.

Ms Palaszczuk said that directive went directly against the advice of Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation and the Australian Medical Association.

Dr Young said she did not want anyone under 40 to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine because of fears over blood clotting.