Last year’s F1 calendar had to be radically changed as a result of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 calendar has already been tweaked due to coronavirus concerns in some countries.
And, so far, six F1 drivers, in addition to a number of team staff, have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic escalated in the US and Europe last March.
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A fast-tracked vaccination programme for F1 would certainly put the sport in a better position to have a successful, uninterrupted 2021 season, but CEO Stefano Domenicali has stressed he doesn’t want Formula One to “jump the line” at the expense of vulnerable people.
“This is a very important point. The most vulnerable [person] is the priority one,” Domenicali said this week.
“On our side, we don’t want to jump the line of vaccination. For sure vaccination is very, very important and I would say I’m looking forward to being vaccinated as, I would say, everyone should be in this moment.”
Continuing, the former Ferrari F1 team principal said: “We need to be prudent and see and respect, of course, what is the situation with all the vulnerable people.
“We don’t want to be seen as the ones that are taking away that, for sure. So [we have] a lot of respect on what the governments are saying, a lot of respect [for] what the people will do,” he added.
The 2021 season has already been affected by the pandemic, with the season-opener in Melbourne being delayed until much later in the season and the Chinese Grand Prix being delayed indefinitely and at risk of not running at all this year.
Pre-season testing has also been disrupted, with it moving from Barcelona to Bahrain.
The season is currently set to get underway in Sakhir on 28 March.
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