Safety first as Formula One braces for impact of coronavirus

Motorsport schedules are in disarray as the virus spreads but Lando Norris tells Jack de Menezes that the drivers are more than aware that there are far more important things than their sport

Lando Norris is aware of the bigger picture beyond F1 (Getty)

Lando Norris believes any decision to cancel the opening Formula One races of the season over the coronavirus outbreak would be a “shame”, but stressed that it would be the right thing to do for public safety.

The McLaren driver is preparing for his second season in F1 not knowing which races will actually take place in 2020, with the Chinese Grand Prix already indefinitely postponed due the outbreak and both the Bahrain and Vietnam events at risk due to travel restrictions.

“If it does get cancelled it’s a shame but the only reason it would ever get cancelled is for safety and the precautions which come first over everything else,” Norris told The Independent. “I don’t think it is in F1’s hands, the governments are deciding and so on, and it’s for the best safety for people living there or for us and for everyone, and that all overrides Formula One, so therefore it’s not our choice.”

On Wednesday, organisers of the curtain-raising Australian Grand Prix admitted that while they are “confident” of next weekend’s event going ahead, they could not be sure due to how quickly the virus is spreading and travel restrictions are changing, and the risk is that the first four races of the season could all find themselves seriously impacted while the outbreak is out of control.

Even if drivers and teams are able to reach Melbourne, Sakhir and Hanoi, there is no guarantee that fans will be able to, with supporters of Ferrari facing heavy restrictions following the deadly outbreak in the northern regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna that is seeing Italy hit with travel bans or lengthy periods in quarantine by certain countries.

With a swollen 22 stops scheduled on the 2020 F1 calendar – one that may well be reduced to 21 if there is no space to reschedule the Chinese Grand Prix – the sport could find itself one of the most heavily disrupted throughout the year given the extensive travelling involved and different government rulings in place across the globe.

But 20-year-old Norris is taking no risks, with the British driver greeting journalists with his elbow in order to limit any contact while the dangers of illness remain at large.

“Just precautions,” Norris explained. “I mean I probably would shake hands but my trainer said ‘I’d try to avoid contact with everyone’.

“I’m sure here it’s not that bad, it probably doesn’t matter at all. It’s when you start the travelling, that’s when you need to take a few more precautions.”

Norris heads into his second season in the sport’s premier category with McLaren, whose parent company are majority-owned by Bahrain-based Mumtalakat Holding Company, and not getting the chance to head to the Middle East later this month for the 22 March event would be a disappointment for Norris given it holds very fond memories.

“It would be a shame because I love Bahrain, as I got my best finish there last year,” said Norris, recalling the sixth place that he took in impressive circumstances in only his second F1 race.

“(With) Vietnam, no one has been to it so I would love just to go to Vietnam for the first time, but at the same time drive on a track that will be new for everyone. I think that’s cool, so if they do that’s a shame and especially because Bahrain is a bit of a home track for McLaren. It’s just a cool atmosphere and is the first night race.”