Mika Häkkinen: It’s disappointing the new Formula 1 season will be delayed but health must come first

THE decision to cancel the first round of the Formula 1 World Championship in Australia is of course a big disappointment, however the sport was left with no alternative as a result of the serious global situation created by the spread of coronavirus.

As a World Champion I am huge fan of Formula 1, but nothing is more important than the health of our fans, team personnel, marshals, event staff, F1 and FIA employees. Formula 1 is one big circus, and we travel together, sharing hotels, hire cars, restaurants and bars. The potential for coronavirus to spread in this environment is clear, and the situation has changed very quickly – particularly in Europe, where all the teams are based – in the past week.

After a member of his team tested positive for the virus, my good friend Zak Brown’s decision to withdraw McLaren from the Grand Prix was definitely the right one. As CEO of McLaren Racing he is also a massive fan of the sport, but the wellbeing of team personnel has to come first. Ultimately most of the other teams agreed with Zak’s position, and finally the Australian authorities alongside Formula 1 and the FIA made the decision to cancel the race.

BREAKING: McLaren withdraws from Australian GP after team member tests positive for coronavirus #F1 #AusGP

— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) March 12, 2020

I understand 14 members of the McLaren team have now been placed in quarantine, and I really wish them all the best and a speedy return to their families. Sport is being affected by the coronavirus on a world wide basis, so getting our priorities right is important at this time. When we finally return to racing and start the World Championship it will be a great moment to celebrate, and hopefully we will not have to wait too long.

For the fantastic fans in Melbourne and across Australia, including those who flew in to attend the race, I can imagine the disappointment. But the sport will recover. I have many good memories of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, as I won there in 1998 at the start of my first World Championship winning season, and I was on the podium the year before.  

Australia also reminds me of a more difficult moment when I had my big accident in Adelaide in 1995 and ended up in the Royal Adelaide Hospital with a fractured skull. Two of the doctors from that hospital were stationed at the corner where I crashed after my car after suffering a tyre failure, and I owe them for the fast treatment I received at the track. I don’t remember much about it as I was unconscious, but I know their skill saved my life!

The 1995 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide was the final round of that year’s World Championship, and the first round of the 1996 championship was in Melbourne which is where I made my comeback and finished fifth.

Let’s look forward to the comeback of the Formula 1 World Championship soon, and meanwhile stay safe while the world deals with the coronavirus.