Australian Grand Prix boss Andrew Westacott has been walking a tightrope for the past week as the coronavirus took hold in Italy, with more than one hundred dying and thousands being diagnosed with the virus. Westacott was also optimistic that the grand prix wouldn't be affected by a change of heart from the government and Italy was added to the list of banned countries on the weekend. ‘‘I wouldn’t have thought so," Westacott told radio 3AW on Thursday. ‘‘[But] I’ve learnt through this exercise to not speculate on medical matters, because by that stage the very vast majority of the formula one teams - and there’s two teams from Italy plus Pirelli - would have [already] been in the country. ‘‘It would just be the last few [formula one personnel who are still to arrive].

‘‘I’ve adapted a practical view on this because the teams whilst they will have to go through those enhanced screening measures [after arriving from Italy], there’s no exceptions made for formula one personnel. ‘‘There’s [also] going to be a level of self-policing ... because for a season and the intricacies of formula one you’re not going to put your team in jeopardy because you’ve had exposure to this. ‘‘They’ve been thinking about this for a long period of time in Europe.’’ Ferrari, the team synonymous with the sport, and Alpha Tauri, another GP team, are based in Italy, as is the Pirelli company, supplier of tyres to Formula One teams. There were mounting fears that had the travel ban been imposed on Italy, mechanics, pit crews and staff from all teams and companies based in the European heartland of F1 would not be allowed to travel to this country – putting the entire grand prix in jeopardy.

But instead Italians will be subjected to advanced screening measures (they will be asked more questions before they board their flight and have their temperatures checked on arrival in Australia) rather than an outright ban. Morrison said Australia had five times the number of passengers from South Korea compared to Italy. However he did not rule out further restrictions on travellers from Italy, which now has more than 3000 infections and 107 deaths, stating the government "would be watching developments very closely". Westacott has been liaising with Victorian government officials, federal ministers and health authorities and has been in twice-daily contact with Formula One management staff as the sport's leaders worked overtime to ensure the season-opening race would go ahead as planned. Loading He has always been bullish about its prospects, although he has also stressed that Australian organisers would do as they were instructed by the government.

The federal government extended the travel ban from those arriving from China and Iran to also include South Korea. The decision means that logistics and planning for the grand prix largely won't be affected. Most of the teams are based in the UK or other European countries, and a large amount of the equipment is already at Albert Park or in transit. Many of Ferrari's staff were not in Italy during the early part of the month as they – and Switzerland- and Monaco-based drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc – were in Barcelona testing and preparing for the new season. "Today's announcement [from the federal government] doesn't change it [the running of the race]," the spokesman said. Australia's Supercars championship will also take place as the main support event.