Although the COVID-19 pandemic has engulfed the entire planet since 2020, the organizers of Formula 1 have managed to successfully contest two seasons and have managed to get the public back on track and, more recently, reopen the paddocks. However, concerns about the ever-increasing diffusion of the Omicron variant push the leaders of Formula 1 towards new challenges.
One of the main question marks for 2022 will be that relating to the Australian GP. In addition to a considerable logistical commitment, there are strict requirements for compliance with the quarantine.
While some governments are starting to push for mandatory vaccination, Formula 1 is also considering introducing this obligation for everyone in the paddock.
On the occasion of the Abu Dhabi GP, Bruno Famin, the director of operations of the FIA and head of the COVID protocols of the governing body, hinted that this idea is under examination.
“In terms of what will happen next year I think it’s a little too early to talk about it. Up until three weeks ago we all thought the pandemic was gone and that 2022 would be a return to normal, “he told Motorsport.com.
“Unfortunately, with the arrival of this new variant, infections are starting to grow again and places in hospitals are filling up again. In Europe there are hundreds of thousands of infections every day. We must pay the utmost attention ”.
“We could also consider the introduction of the vaccination obligation, but for the moment nothing has been decided yet”.
Paddock overview
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Stefano Domenicali, F1 managing director, however, stated how this idea was carried forward and received the approval of the FIA World Council.
“There are a lot of issues to discuss with the teams,” Domenicali told Motorsport.com. “Next year we will have to manage the COVID emergency and it will not be easy, but in the last two years, despite the pandemic, we have managed to complete some really intense seasons”.
“Being able to complete a championship with 22 races makes us cautiously optimistic for what should be the start of the 2022 season. However, it is no coincidence that one of the latest proposals approved in the last FIA World Council, as a precaution , and to have all Formula 1 personnel in the paddock vaccinated ”.
F1 was the first sport to carry out a campaign to invite the public to get vaccinated. At the last Abu Dhabi GP, a video was launched with the messages of all the drivers present on the grid in 2021.
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