The season-opening Formula One race in Australia will go ahead despite the increasing threat from the coronavirus, organisers have stated.

Mercedes still look supreme after testing but Red Bull are ready to fight | Giles Richards Read more

The Chinese Grand Prix has already been postponed because of the outbreak and infection from the virus has now spread throughout Europe, where the F1 teams are based. The Australian GP is due to take place on 15 March and with teams and equipment set to leave this week, a definitive decision on staging the race needs to be made within days.

Air freight, including cars, for the Melbourne meeting are expected to leave on Wednesday and Thursday, with team personnel flying out shortly afterwards. F1 management and the FIA state that they continue to monitor the coronavirus outbreak, insisting that the safety of teams, staff and fans is paramount.

On Monday the chief executive of the Australian GP, Andrew Westacott, stated that at this stage he is confident the race will take place. “We are all systems go and gearing up for the 25th Formula One race in Melbourne next week,” he said. “The finishing touches are being put on the circuit; F1 freight and personnel are arriving in the coming days.

“We continue to closely monitor the situation in the lead-up to the grand prix and are taking guidance from subject-matter experts, including Victorian and national chief health officers and the Australian Health Protection principal committee. At this stage there is no indication of further travel bans, nor is there any indication that Formula One and the teams will not be arriving as usual. Formula One has again confirmed overnight that the Australian Grand Prix is going ahead.”

Sign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks.

The spread of the virus in Italy and Japan remains a major concern. Ferrari, AlphaTauri and the tyre supplier Pirelli are all based in Italy, while the engine manufacturer Honda is based in Japan. They supply power units to Red Bull and AlphaTauri.

Australia has already imposed strict controls on entry from China and Iran, with foreign nationals required to spend 14 days in a third country before entering. Currently Italy and Japan are not subject to such restrictions but Italy has experienced a surge in cases of infection.

Anger as F1 teams get go-ahead to drive on Dutch nature reserve Read more

The Bahrain Grand Prix is set to be held one week after the Australian GP and there has been speculation that it might be held spectator free.

However with the volume of personnel from teams, F1, broadcasters and media for a race running into the thousands, such a measure would be of limited effect. It is understood that F1 management is not considering closed-door meetings as an option.

Organisers of the Vietnam Grand Prix insist it will still take place on 5 April. However on Monday authorities announced that 115 people were now suspected of having the virus in Vietnam. In response its ministry of foreign affairs announced that Italian nationals will no longer be granted visa-free entry to the country.

The MotoGP series has postponed its scheduled second race of the season in Thailand set for 22 March because of the virus. The opening meeting in Qatar has already been cancelled due to travel restrictions put in place on entry from personnel from Italy and other countries.