The Australian Grand Prix has been called off because of coronavirus. In what had increasingly looked to be an inevitable decision, the demise of the race was drawn out, painful and undignified.

From the moment the first McLaren team member was identified as having the coronavirus on Thursday evening, rumour and counter-rumour flew around Melbourne but from F1 management and Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, the silence was as baffling as it was deafening.

The governing bodies finally broke cover almost 12 hours after McLaren announced they were withdrawing from the grand prix on Thursday, after one of their team members was diagnosed with the coronavirus. The FIA and F1 issued a joint statement with the race organisers the Australian Grand Prix corporation.

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It read: “Following the confirmation that a member of the McLaren Racing Team has tested positive for Covid-19 and the team’s decision to withdraw from the Australian Grand Prix, the FIA and Formula 1 convened a meeting of the other nine team principals on Thursday evening.

“Those discussions concluded with a majority view of the teams that the race should not go ahead. The FIA and Formula 1, with the full support of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, have therefore taken the decision that all Formula 1 activity for the Australian Grand Prix is cancelled.”

“We appreciate this is very disappointing news for the thousands of fans due to attend the race and all ticket holders will receive a full refund.”

The decision, which many had felt was long overdue, was pre-empted by an announcement from world champions Mercedes that they would be withdrawing from the event.

“The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team has today sent a letter to the FIA and F1 requesting the cancellation of the 2020 Australian Grand Prix,” it read. “We share the disappointment of the sport’s fans that this race cannot go ahead as planned.

“However, the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our team members and of the wider F1 community are our absolute priority. In light of the force majeure events we are experiencing with regards to the Coronavirus pandemic, we no longer feel the safety of our employees can be guaranteed if we continue to take part in the event.”

Shortly after the announcement, Ferrari issued a statement supporting the decision to cancel the race. Suggestions that the race was off had been circulating throughout the night. However initially the organisers issued a statement claiming the event would go on as planned and hospitality staff were told to attend.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest An official tells fans outside Albert Park that the Australian Grand Prix weekend has been cancelled. Photograph: Scott Barbour/EPA

There were reports that F1 staff were being told to treat the day as normal. Marshals were in place on the circuit and a two-seater car was doing laps. However, requests for information from the authorities, organisers and teams yielded nothing.

Fans arriving found they were not allowed to enter the track while only members of five teams turned up at the paddock. Further confusion was spread when Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews said on Friday morning that the if the race was to be held, it would have to do so behind closed doors. Yet at this point it is understood that at least two drivers, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, had already flown home.

With no official statements forthcoming, fans in large numbers were already gathering to enter Albert Park but being refused entry by staff with little or no information to guide them.

No explanation has been given for why the decision to finally close down the race took so long, or why so little information was disseminated in the interim. It appears possible that reaching agreement on who was to take responsibility for the cancellation – between state authorities, organisers, the FIA and F1 – may have contributed to the longevity of the process.

On Thursday, Lewis Hamilton had earlier heaped pressure on the fate of the grand prix by claiming they were putting lives in danger with 300,000 fans expected through the gates of Albert Park over the next few days. “I am really very, very surprised that we are here,” the six-times champion said. “I think it’s really shocking that we are all sitting in this room. It’s a concern I think for the people here – it’s quite a big circus that’s come here and it’s definitely concerning for me.”

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A few hours later McLaren confirmed that a member of their team had tested positive for coronavirus. The individual was one of eight F1 personnel who were tested for coronavirus on Wednesday but the only one confirmed to have the disease. The other seven results, including four team members from Haas who had shown symptoms, all returned negative.

Before the test results had returned the deputy chief health officer for Victoria, Annaliese van Diemen, had stated if any were to return positive results, their close contacts would be placed into “immediate quarantine”. This would have had a huge impact on the ability of any team to function.

The cancellation of the opening race of the season could have major repercussions for the sport’s immediate future. Next weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, which was already set to be staged behind closed doors, now looks unlikely to take place, particularly with F1 personnel in quarantine.

The inaugural race in Vietnam, scheduled for 5 April, is also under major threat. Following the postponement of the Chinese Grand Prix, the season could now start in the Netherlands on 3 May, but that is also subject to change.