Formula One gambled and lost on trying to start its 2020 season amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic, but its handling of a potential outbreak has called into question the judgement of those running the sport at its highest levels.
The appearance of the highly contagious COVID-19 virus inside the paddock was inevitable for a sport that was due to travel to 22 countries this year. The amount of international transit puts those working in Formula One among the most at risk of contracting the disease, and the confined working environment of each circuit is ideal for rapid transmission.
It was always a matter of when, not if.
Never before has a Formula One season opened to such a plethora of unknowns heading into the first round of the season.
Six days of preseason testing revealed few concrete answers to consider in the weeks leading to the Australian Grand Prix.
Mercedes, the reigning six-time constructors champion, was quickest, but the German marque was uncharacteristically unreliable. Power unit problems plagued not only the works team across both three-day sessions but customer Williams too, which endured three frustrating stoppages.
I preview the upcoming Australian and Bahrain grands prix with last year’s podcast guests Rob James from Box of Neutrals and Peter Anderson from theredline.com.au.
