Formula One reveals details of COVID-19 testing plan for teams

Chase Carey

Formula One has laid out plans of how races will be run until a vaccine is available for the Covid-19 virus.

Races won’t be canceled if a driver tests positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) or if a team withdraws, CEO Chase Carey says.

“A team not being able to race wouldn’t cancel the race," Carey said on the F1 website Tuesday. “I don’t think I could sit here and lay out the consequences. But we will have a procedure in place that finding infection will not lead to a cancellation. If a driver has an infection, (teams have) reserve drivers available."

Carey said team members will be tested for the coronavirus before they depart for a race and then every two days. Teams will live in a “bubble" system, likely with “sub bubbles" to keep people apart if they do different jobs, he added.

“Clearly we recognize our sport is one which at times, we can’t have 2 meters between every individual on a team," he said. “When a car pulls into a pit and has to change four tires, there won’t be 2 meters between every individual. We need to make sure we have procedures to manage all those risks as soon as possible."