Australia to have no tolerance and visa policy towards unvaccinated F1 drivers entering the country ahead of the 2022 Australian Grand Prix.
Australia is among the most prudent states when coming to dealing with the pandemic. The Land Down Under cancelled two successive Grand Prix races over the COVID-19 concerns.
And they are likely to maintain such strictness going into the 2022 season. The Australian authorities have clearly stated that no visa will be provided to F1 drivers who are unvaccinated.
“I don’t think an unvaccinated tennis player will get a visa to come into this country,” said Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews. “And if they did get a visa, they would probably have to quarantine for a couple of weeks.
“I don’t think any other tennis player or golfer or Formula 1 driver will even get a visa to get here. If I’m wrong, I’m sure the federal government will let you know.”
“You need to be vaccinated to keep yourself safe and to keep others safe,” he added. No driver has openly displayed an anti-vaccination stance publicly like Novak Djokovic, who might have to drop out from the Australian Open if he maintains his position.
Though Medical Car driver Alan van der Merwe has openly stated his hesitation towards the vaccines and is likely to maintain it. Hence, he would be probably available for the Australian GP, which is set to happen in April.
No problem for the FIA
Recently, even Turkey disallowed the entry of people in F1 to enter the country without vaccination, and van der Merwe was kept out of the event. Therefore, FIA is expected to keep its stance in Australia too.
“From what we understand, there are a couple of countries where you will probably not be allowed to enter unless you are vaccinated. From that perspective.”
“The FIA obviously has to respect the requirements of each country that we visit, which includes all of the teams and everybody else.”
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