Ferrari travel to Australia ‘going ahead’ despite Italy lockdown

Ferrari is planning on travelling to Melbourne as normal for the season-opening Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix despite increased measures put in place by the Italian Government over the weekend.

Italy has been one of the countries most heavily impacted by the coronavirus with 16 provinces now placed in lockdown.

That includes the Province of Modena, which homes both Ferrari and AlphaTauri.

The lockdown restricts the movement of people, primarily in the north of the country, while schools and universities have been closed.

Public events, sports events, civil, and religious ceremonies have also been cancelled.

Individuals who break the imposed restrictions face up to three months in jail and a more than 200 Euro fine.

“Following measures announced by the Italian government last night (Saturday, local time), we are monitoring and evaluating the situation and are in close contact with the relevant authorities and all organisations involved,” read a Ferrari statement.

“For Ferrari, compliance with the government regulations represents the primary guarantee for ensuring the safety of its employees and their families which is our priority.

“Every single decision will be made with respect to this principle.

“Part of the team and equipment have already arrived in Melbourne and the departures for the remaining members of the team are going ahead as programmed unless we receive communications to the contrary.”

Last week, the Australian Government announced enhanced screening measures for travellers from Italy though opted not to put in place a travel ban.

China, Iran, and South Korea all have travel bans in place preventing foreign nationals from entering Australia directly.

Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott last week reaffirmed his believe that the race would go ahead as planned, stating it was “all systems go”.

Formula 1 as a sport has previously stated that it would not run if a team was denied entry to a country, while the Bahrain Grand Prix will take place behind closed doors.

Track running for the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix is set to begin on Friday for Formula 1, though media activities and team/garage set-up are due to begin earlier.

The Australian Grand Prix is set to run from March 12-15.