“That’s a commitment that we intend to honour”- Australian Grand Prix boss has promised that the country will not back out.
Australian Grand Prix was among the first countries to withdraw from the 2020 Formula 1 season, and in 2021, they were in the headlines for postponing the race amidst rising cases in the country.
Eventually, it was granted a postponement, but suspicion on its future remained. Clarifying all the doubts, Australian Grand Prix boss Andrew Westacott has promised that the event will happen, even if they have to exclude spectators from avoiding the rise in COVID-19 cases.
“It’s not a hypothetical that I’m considering at the moment, because I actually think that we will be able to have a crowd,” Westacott, Chief Executive Officer of the AGPC, told Speedcafe.com.
“But the view would be if we’re committed and we’re on the calendar then that’s a commitment that we intend to honour of the Grand Prix Corporation, and so, therefore, the answer would be, we’d go ahead.”
“My preference and absolute desire are to work through that. If we can have the drivers and teams coming here into Australia, we’ll be able to work.”
“I’ve said many a time we’ve got 176 hectares of the outdoor park; we’ve got 10.6 kilometres of track frontage; we’ve got wonderfully adaptable designs for corporate facilities for grandstands and open-air for general admission.”
To allow or not to allow, remains a mystery.
Westacott has further claimed that the decision to bring in fans will soon be made, even though there are facilities like QR codes to track them, but the circuit’s infrastructure still requires a peek before inviting the audiences.
“Those decisions need to be made five to six months out is my general view,” he said. “We need to provide certainty because without certainty it’s very, very difficult for local and particularly interstate fans to plan holidays and travel, and annual leave from work and the commitments financially to be at the event,” he said.
“So we’ve got to commit a fair time out. Now, I do put my hand up and say in the world of COVID that’s often at odds with what – long-term planning – is at odds with what COVID produces.
“But with vaccines and us all learning to live with COVID and, things like face masks and health practices, and work practices. “But we’ll always maintain flexibility, and we’ll always have the caveats of health and guidance from government.”
