Fan interactions with F1 drivers have been banned for Australian Grand Prix

Fans will be unable to get their merchandise signed by drivers during the Australian Grand Prix weekend after the organisers have banned this following the threat of coronavirus. The event is still scheduled to go ahead, unlike the Chinese Grand Prix. The race in Bahrain will take place without spectators. 

Fans and journalists are kept at a distance 

The autograph session, which is normally part of the run-up to a Grand Prix weekend, has therefore been replaced by a live interview, Motorsport.com reports. The Melbourne Walk, a moment in which fans have the opportunity to pose with drivers, has also been adapted. Fans now only get to see the drivers from a distance.

Not only the fans are kept at a distance, but the journalists also have less access to the drivers. Some teams have already created certain zones where journalists are not allowed and Renault has even cancelled the press moment with their drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon.